Falloween Princess

Updated with photo!! Princess CassiJo sans long white gloves

This Halloween CassiJo decided she wanted to be a princess. She decided this after choosing a lavender satin candy basket at Super Target in Edmond. We searched the local mall for a costume and unless I want my daughter to be a harlot, we will not be selecting a costume from their store. We settled on long white gloves and a crown from Claires, with the understanding I would comb the resale shops the next day for a perfect princess dress.

First stop....not much luck. I found a hunter green bridesmaid dress and that was the only thing that wasn't too long or too revealing. At the low low price of $6 how could I go wrong? I wasn't thrilled with the selection and decided to make one more stop at Twice Is Nice and check thier selection. BINGO!! SCORE!!! I found a tea-length pink chiffon dress that was perfect for our little budding princess. I scored major brownie points with this dress people!! (pictures will follow tomorrow)

I noticed rather quickly that CassiJo's demeanor and personality changes when she is HRH Princess CassiJo. There is apparently some unspoken rules about being a princess:

1. Attire must be long and flowing
2. Crown is required, the more jewels the better
3. Gloves, long and white, preferred but not required
4. Shoes must high heeled and/or sparkley. Bonus if they "snap" when you walk
5. Cupped hand wave must be perfected
6. English accent is required apparently
7. Princesses get to boss everyone around
8. Drinks must be consumed with the pinkie finger pointed up
9. Lips must be pursed
10. Princesses blink in excess
11. Everyone in the room MUST kiss the hand of the princess upon greeting.

This is for your information should you ever visit the Joe Household while we are still in Princess Stealth Mode........

Happy Falloween!

Fall Break

Today is the first day of Fall Break for the little kiddies across Oklahoma.
CarlyJo spent it with friends doing what girls do best.....talk about boys and paint their piggies. CassiJo and her daddy went to a movie after she spent the night with Nana and Papa. (BTW if any of you would like to invite her over for a sleepover, she would be glad to come. She is feeling a little blue that CarlyJo has so many friends to spend the night with and she really doesn't have many.....)

ME? I was at work. Someone beat me to the punch and took off first. Shoot!!

Here are some things I have learned this week:
1. More football rules and what-not, while watching the OU/Texas game
2. Heated seats are wonderful (we got a new-to-us truck with heated seats)
3. Running in cold weather makes me dizzy
4. 4am is very early to wake up every day. If you need a wake up call at 4am Central time, I am your girl.
5. Never engage a disgruntled doctor as to why drugs are so expensive
6. Never assume things will go off with out a hitch.....something always comes up. Thank goodness for family to help out. Right AndiJo?
7. My beautiful niece and nephew from Japan will be here for a Christmas visit.
8. There is such a thing as a chocolate ovarian cyst. (but it is not filled w/chocolate.)haha
9. Uncle Joe still sneezes really loud
10. Carlyjo talks really fast when she is excited.
11. Cassijo still sings ALL the time. The other night she sang herself to sleep. (and another day we caught her singing to herself in the mirror after her shower...The CassiJo Show!)
12. Only bad mommies forget to pack their baby's swim suit when going on a weekend trip. (Thank Goodness for Super Target!!)
13. Running to music is fun.
14. I was told by one of the providers, after defending a disgruntled and grumpy employee that I "could find something good in a pile of C-R-@-P." I think that was a compliment.
15. I have spent 3 out of 4 lunch hours in Walmart. I spend way too much time in Walmart.

That's all from AuntJo tonight folks!

Happy Fall Y'all!

Things I Learned While Camping

The Joes, (less CarlyJo who is too cool and waaay to busy to camp with us.....haha) went camping this weekend at Greenleaf State Park. We had a really good time and here are some things that I learned on our 48 hours while there.


1. Don't sit downwind from someone sprinkling red pepper. It burns your eyes.

2. Set up your tent to catch the cross wind, otherwise it will just blow your tent in and scare you in your sleep.

3. Don't serve chili one night then beans the next day. (but do mix the left over chili with the beans!!)

4. Don't try to walk to the farthest bathroom when participating in #3.

5. Bring a small basket to carry your shower paraphenalia.

6. Leave modesty at home when showering in the bathrooms. There really is not privacy. (or shower late and get dressed lightening fast like I did)

7. Be glad that your daughter collapses , exhausted, in her camping bed....put there by her very own self.

8. Bring lots of wood for the camp fire, and don't forget to protect it from rain.

9. Listen to the weather man and believe that a 30% chance of rain is a big enough chance you should put everything up for the night.

10. Invest in an air mattress. Totally wonderful! Beats sleeping on the hard ground and makes snuggling to keep warm much easier....

11. Inspect (and double inspect) the ground for sticky-up items before setting the tent up.

12. The smell of fresh coffee and bacon in the morning beats any alarm clock.

13. Rising with the sun and the birds (sometimes making funny noises) is wonderful.

14. Slow down and enjoy all the quiet.

15. Our universe is a wonderful and marvelous thing.....take a blanket and admire all the stars.

16. In quiet camp areas, voices carry so don't talk about your neighbors or say naughty things.

17. Electricity is overrated.

18. Camping is fun.

French Fry How To's

I was eating my lunch in a hurry today as I had to run some errands on my lunch break......I was driving down the road eating french fries pondering these questions:

1. When you eat FF's do you eat one at a time or are you a multiple-consumer.

2. If you are a multiple-consumer how do you determine the acceptable number of FF to eat at once?

3. Does the texture of the FF have any bearing on your decision? If I am eating crinkle cut fries, I tend to eat them one at a time but thinner cut fries are consumed at least two at a time.

4. Are you a conscientious selector of fries? Choosing the largest, crispiest or longest fry to eat first or do you just dive in, grabbing and eating?

5. What is your ketchup application technique? Do you dunk one fry at a time or do you pour/drizzle/dump ketchup on all the fries and eat them with a fork?

I am a dunker but have wandered over to the drizzle side of the fence occassionally....it depends on the situation, the availability of the condiment and the number of diners also engaging the condiments. I also like pepper in my ketchup. (Don't say ewww until you try it!)

6. Lastly, who makes the best frenchfries?

Our Baby

got saved last night. We went to the Community Block Party put on by our church and she gave her heart to Jesus. She was very excited to make her decision public this morning. We will be thrilled to watch her baptism soon....

Heaven is celebrating!! We are too. :o)

A Stellar First

Last Monday night Uncle Joe and had a "Stellar First". We went to the football track for our nightly exercise and on our first lap around we noticed a lone soul sitting on a bench in front of the stands. In front of this person were two instruments on tripods. We walked closer and closer and the face came into view.....it was my HS Basketball Coach, Coach (Glenda) McClain. She is married to my old MS Science teacher, Mr.(Cleon) McClain. They are both retired, but Mr. McClain came out of retirement to teach his dream subject: Astronomy. He went above and beyond the call of duty to make this class happen for Fort Gibson High School students. He wanted a class of 12 due to the limited amount of equipment he had but the turn out was so great, he has 17 students interested in Astronomy.



We stopped to chat with Glenda because she and UJ have the same heart condition and they compared notes and medications and it did them both good to share a little of their stories....moving on........she invited us to stay and view what the students were about to view: Jupiter and its moons. HOW COOL IS THAT? (of course we took them up on that offer!)

We stayed and listened to Mr.McClain teach a bit and it really took me back. I really enjoyed his classes. He was a great teacher and she was a great coach. Both were encouraging in their own way. He was more dry but funny and she was a positive, upbeat person who you just loved to be around. We all found it very strange they got married, but they have been together for a long time now and seem as happy now as ever. They never had any children, I guess all the students they had were enough. :o)



This is almost the exact view we saw from the huge telescope they had set up.

It was the first time I had ever viewed anything like this and I was so thrilled to finally see something so awesome. Glenda invited us to come back again for the next viewing: Saturn. I hope they don't forget to call.......

I think I know what I want for Christmas.

Stretching My Noodle-making Muscle

Saturday I finally got up my nerve and tried our pasta maker attachment for our KitchenAid mixer we bought this spring. The mixer came with a "Mixer Bible" and was chock full of recipes. The first pasta recipe is for beginners so I decided to start at the beginning and stretch my noodle muscle with a fairly easy noodle. So what if I messed up? It was only flour, egg and water!

It was much much easier than I thought to make them, and I would do it again.
I have been wanting to make Fettuccini Alfredo so this was the perfect opportunity. Uncle Joe seasoned up the chicken to saute, I made some mushrooms to add and when the combination came together, well let's just let the picture below tell the story.

Mmmmmmmm

UJ liked it and fussed a bit over the tasty plate. I ate that up along with the yummy noodles. :o)

Next I'll work on my tomato noodle muscle

Thank Goodness for the Day After Thursday!

I'll start by saying I am glad it is Friday and we all get to rest a bit tomorrow. I am a little short on words tonight so I'll just tell a funny story that Joe told me one day this week on our Nocturnal Stroll.

*Disclaimer: This is told in my own words and will not exactly match the story word for word as it was told to me. End Disclaimer*

One night while UJ was visiting Memaw and Pepaw in Heavener (translated: out in the boonies) he decided to take a stroll up to Aunt Dodo's house, about 1/4 mile away. (Approximately)

The night was dark and quiet. So dark he could not see his hand in front of his face. So dark it made your eyes feel strange to be open and not able to visualize anything. So quiet all he could hear were the country insects and the sound of his footsteps walking down the road.

The sounds he heard made him start to wonder what kind of varmits were lurking near by. Pepaw was forever telling a tale about a cougar or some other scary critter up near their house. Joe became a little nervous.....what if one was about to crawl acoss his foot and bite him?

He began to run in the darkness, feeling his way by the feel of the road beneath his feet. The farther he ran the faster he ran until he was at a fever pitch pumping his 20-ish yr old legs as fast as they would carry him. He was wearing Roper boots so he was really clippety cloppety running down the road in the pitch black country night.

When he came to his senses enough to look around he had run PAST Aunt Dodo's driveway and had to back track a bit. When he arrived at the house Aunt Dodo greeted him in true Blevins Sister fashion...."Hi Huh-neeee! What are you doing here so late? Did you hear all that racket on your way? It must have been a horse running down the road." He laughed. "No Aunt Dodo, it was me running down the road." They had a good laugh and I am not sure she believed that the noise she heard was him galloping.....er running down the road.

I have this picture in my mind......a skinny, (handsome) guy with quite a bit more hair, in Wranglers and Ropers running down the road in fast motion....like what you would see on an episode of The Little Rascals.......looking around realizing he missed his turn and running back, trying to get his aunt to believe thta racket really was him running down the road and NOT a horse. I laughed out loud every time I thought about it at work this week. I am still smiling. :o)

Did You See That?

Did you hear that speech by Sarah Palin?? (Did you see her daughter lick her hand to make the baby's hair lay down? So cute!)

Did you hear that speech by John McCain? Cindy McCain?

Wow.

Yea. What they said..........

I can't wait for November. I have never NEVER been interested in politickin' but this year has piqued my interest. I may not have watched the speeches if Joe hadn't been in charge of the tv remote, but in any case I paid attention and learned a lot and was inspired by the two candidates and their families.

McPalin! McPalin! McPalin! McPalin!

Gusty

Last night on my nocturnal stroll, I could feel the effects of Hurricane Gustav. He was blowing and throwing rain around a little here in Oklahoma. I just enjoyed the breeze and the cool drizzly rain ....

Pei Wei's Big Adventure

Saturday Uncle Joe asked me if I had heard of a restaurant called Pei Wei. I had because a drug rep catered it in for us last year. Then yesterday I had a fabulous idea: go try it. I knew exactly where it was, and it was easy to find for us country folk so off we went after CassiJo and I got in from Sunday School.

We bribed the children into staying home so we could have a nice lunch alone with Subway. Gotta love Subway!!

We arrived at PeiWei and were lucky enough to get a parking spot on the front row. :o)

We were greeted just inside the door by a man serving samples of honey seared chicken; a very tasty little tidbit to get our appetites whetted.

If you have never been to Pei Wei here is the proper procedure. (do not vary from this procedure or their may be consequences. All the dear folks in line with us complied with all the protocol so no one was hurt during our dining experience. ) A line is formed from the door to the cash register where your order is placed before you are seated. The menu appears on panels in the line area. You are to review and select your food choices before arriving at the cash register. The cash register is attended by a Soup Nazi. Do not dillydally or lollygag while ordering. You are allowed one question. Answer quickly any question asked of you, pay and get on down the line and wait for your seating assignment. Take your seat and wait for your food. Do not make eye contact.

We were seated right by the fountain drink station. Something that later I appreciated.

I ordered Shrimp Thai Coconut Curry with fried rice. (wish i had gotten white sticky rice, but that guy at the register scared me!) Joe ordered Thai Blazing Noodles with Beef and for our appetizers (we went a little crazy) Lettuce Wraps and Crab Wontons. Our appetizers arrived minutes after we were seated and they were very tasty.

When our entree's arrived we admired them a minute before digging in. Mine was very pretty with all the red peppers and greenbeans and Joe's was very colorful as well with quartered tomatoes and carrots and lots of noodles with a reddish tint. After the first taste he realized the reddish tint was Hell Powder.

Now let me tell you UJ has a tough tongue and a palate for hot and spicy things. ;o) After several bites of these hot noodles UJ wiped his brow and commented how hot they were. I tasted of them and I must have had some noodles off the bottom or some that escaped the Hell Powder because mine were not that hot. Apparently the heat is a cumulative effect because with each bite the heat multiplied exponentially until I saw steam coming from Joe's ears and nose and sweat beading up on his brow. He took several bites of my dish to cool his palate(or jump up to the fountain drinks that we were seated near) and would bravely dig back into his Blazy Beefy Bowl until he had just had enough. He couldn't finish it. I was famished and totally ate every bite of mine save the extra rice. By the time we left both our stomachs were on fire. We were in need of something to cool them down, so after a short trip to Sam's Wholesale Club we stopped at a custard shop called Freckles and UJ chose a Chocolate Alley for us: Chocolate frozen custard with smashed Snickers topped with whipped cream and chocolate chips. Mmmmm very nice coolness for the tummies on fire. :o) I was driving so he fed me and didn't even get any on me. Way to go Joe!

So in conclusion: Pei Wei's is a great place. The prices were very reasonable and the food was tasty. I would love to go again and try my favorite Thai dish: Pad Thai. (I am pretty sure UJ is done with Thai Blazing Noodles too, wouldn't you agree?) We had a nice day out and came home for a rest before our nocturnal walk and the movie Vantage Point.

A very good day was had by the Joe's

Today my laboring efforts were extinguished when the carpet steamer we rented Saturday will not work. Great. Lesson #1...always check to make sure the unit is working BEFORE filling with water. Now I have to move all the furniture back into the living room from the kitchen. Yay. They better give me a really good deal to make up for this.

Have a great day! Take a nap! You deserve it........I think I will.

Walker's Etiquette

Uncle Joe and I have been walking at night for a long time now. We went through a spell in the winter that we didn't get out much but got started again this spring and have kept it up most nights. We walk after dark so it is cooler for him (and more private for talking. :o)

We recently started walking at the track at our school. This gives us an exact distance and we don't have to worry about the cars . I have been pondering a few things along the line of etiquette and oddities

1. Why does everyone walk the same way?
2. Why is it counter clockwise?
3. Should you move out of the way when you hear someone coming up behind you or do you have the right of way in your lane?
4. Are you obligated to speak and 0r acknowledge someone every time you pass one another?
5. Is it rude to laugh if you hear a rude noise emitting from the derriere of the person in front of you?

This is a great time of the day for us and we relish it and look forward to it every night. It is great exercise for both of us and I am actually looking forward to some cooler days for our nocturnal strollings. Try it.....it's a good thing!:o)

Beautiful Bargain: Bitty Baby Bananas

Cassidy and I went shopping yesterday at Homeland. Look at the cute little bananas she found! Aren't they cute!? They are very tasty and more intense than a full sized version. Bigger does not always mean better in the banana flavor department. :o) haha They are the perfect size for the children's lunches or a small snackie before bedtime. Mmmmmm Enjoy!

First Day of School and Other Stuff

CarlyJo Eighth Grader Extraordinaire
CassiJo Third Grade Brainiac
A super supper plate!

Uncle Joe made the meat:Marinated Pork Tenderloin with mushrooms, onions and garlic. (marinated in syrup, balsamic vinegar and garlic) I made the Garlic Smashed Potatoes (used Yukon Gold.....try them. They are so yummy!) and Broccoli Salad. We had the B-Salad when we went to OKC to lesliereids house. When I served this to my family on this night they all said, "We liked it better at lesliereid's house." That is funny because *I* made it at lesliereid's house! So the old saying is true? Location! Location! Location! I was the only one who ate much of it. I refused to throw it out, so every night I ate a few bites and ate the last bite yesterday for a snack. It is very tasty! It has broccoli, raisins, sunflower seeds, onions and bacon with a tasty dressing If you are are a broccoli lover this is the salad for you! I'll be posting the recipe on the "Everyday Gourmet" link later.

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In other news: I need a day off. Another staff member has given notice and will be leaving the first of September. This was a shock to me and I am very sad as this person is my favorite! She is my 9-5 Mother! She has been with the clinic for 20+years and she will be missed. We have begun training on the front desk receptionist, Jennifer, and that is working out nicely. Jennifer is a friend from our old church in Muskogee, and in a surprise move she and her family joined our local church! I am very excited about getting to know her and her family. (they even have a daughter CassiJo's age....that is extra great!)

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In other other news: Uncle Joe reports that he can feel his brain function returning to normal now that the children are back at school during the day. :o)

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Something funny: Yesterday I made some homemade chicken noodle soup for lunch. Cassidy didn't want any and was asking to eat a sandwich in the living room. Uncle Joe did not understand that she was eating a sandwich.

"Daddy, can I eat my lunch and watch tv?"

Uncle Joe's reply, "No you can't. You spill things and don't clean it up." (thinking she was going to be eating soup)

"Well I am eating a sandwich.....am I gonna spill that??"

Needless to say she didn't get to eat in the living room after that remark.

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This is really getting to be a long post. I sure didn't think I had this many words in me today. I have a headache and want to go back to bed. UJ massaged my neck and it feels better, but I still feel some sleepy in me.

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I have another "first": I am reading a Larry McMurtrey novel, Dead Man's Walk. I have never read anything by this author and I am pleased to report I am enjoying it. It is the story of the characters of Lonesome Dove, Gus and Call's beginning. This is a recommendation from Uncle Joe. He checked the book out and was about to return it unread when he saw me searching for a new book to read. "Here try this." he said........so I am.

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I wonder how much longer I can make this post so it is as annoying as possible?haha!!

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We didn't go to church today and it is 11:14am and I am still in my pj's. I should go get dressed. Right after I snooze a little more.

AJ over and outta here......

The Prequel

As you can see by the date of the picture above, we travelled to Sam & Ellas with friends a long time ago. This is Hoghead aka Octagon Man aka Terry on one of our many trips to Sam & Ella's for some pizza that's the bomb!! When we go with Terry and Sharon we always get cheezy bread, a big salad (and Terry always gives me his red peppers) and a large Rock Island Red pizza. Needless to say we leave stuffed....but not too stuffed, because sometimes we stop off at Braum's for a dip of ice cream. :o)

Terry and Cassidy have a great relationship. They annoy one another to high Heaven and love every minute of it. When we go to S&E, I usually drive. (I dont' know why) Sharon sits in the front with me leaving Terry and Joe to pester Cassidy all the way to Tahlequah. All 16 miles......her hollering and Terry whooping. It is a long 16 miles I tell ya. (but SO fun!) *Funny thing, Carly has never been with us! She is usually at a friends house.

We are looking forward to the next visit and trip to Sam & Ella's. We need to get a picture of us all in the chicken coop too.

15 Years

Today I have been married to my best friend and love, Uncle Joe aka Kenny for 15 years. They have been good years (with a mix of trials and tests) and we have learned a lot about life, love, each other and ourselves, and what it means to say "I do" in the face of adversity and trials

~I still do~

Kendall I love you more today than the day I married you. You are a light in my day and I love sharing air with you. I hope we share many more happy years together.

Love,

Suzy

A Happy First

lesliereid (and her daughter Cambryn) came to visit this weekend and any body who comes to the Joe's HAS to go to Sam & Ella's in Tahlequah for the best pizza ever! It is a tradition for our group to try to be seated in the Chicken Coop. It is the best seat in the house and gives great echos while we whoop and holler. :o) This was their first visit to S&E and now they know we are not lying when we sing the praises of Rock Island Red Pizza. Next on the "to do" list, the Dominquer: A pizza with chicken, bacon, ranch and fresh tomatoes.

You will notice that lesliereid has a hold of Carlyjo's hands. Tha is so Carlyjo will not hide her pretty face. :o) Thanks Les!

A Sad First

Our baby daughter got a nasty cut on the bottom of her foot Saturday. She was trying to help Dad out and get two large jars of pickles out of the fridge and dropped one. She stepped down and got a very nasty cut. The nasty cut gushed blood galore. The Daddy was trapped barefoot on the floor full of glass too. The Momma came when the cry went out. It was evident that she needed stitches so off we went.

Let me tell you how tough our baby is: She cried when she cut her foot, then again when she was nervous about getting stitches but didn't cry when the doctor numbed her foot. She was so brave!! She "blew the pain away" just like Momma said and breathed in through her nose and out through her mouth. She didn't cry and was so TOTALLY AWESOME!! She even had to endure the shots a second time when some of the numbing effect wore off while we waited on a radiologist to read her x-rays (to make sure there wasn't a glass fragment in the cut)

She got 4 stitches and has let them slow her down very little. She takes care of it, keeping it bandaged up and clean. We just hope she does ok at school this week. They start Thursday and she will have to go several days with a house shoe on. :o)

That was excitement in the Joe house that I don't want again any time soon!

Crazy Eights

My favorite number is 8

Today is my favorite number day.

08-08-08

Sharp Mail and Found Daddies

We got an interesting package in the mail last week. I am just now getting around to posting about it.

These items came in the mail from Seekers home in Illinois. Let me explain the contents: The knife at the bottom is one we bought in Rock Falls when we had a supper of pastrami (?) and crackers in the hotel. We couldn't take it with us on the plane home so we left it with Seeker. The pedometer is for our nightly walks so we can keep up with our torture....er I mean exercise. The dolls are from the playhouse that our girls were playing with while Seeker, PR, Uncle Joe and I visited in the living room. We hardly heard a peep out of the girs the whole time other than, "MOM WHY DID YOU SELL *OUR* DOLLHOUSE IN THE GARAGE SALE!!?"
Seeker sent this Mommy and Daddy to the girls to play with at home.

This is the Daddy and the Mommy. I am not sure what their names are. Maybe Martin and Megan Masters, or Will and Jill Mills. It may be Rufus and Rita Ritter. Do you have a name for them?

There is a funny story that we tell whenever we see "The Daddy" from this play set. Let me set the stage: The Joe Family, UJ, AJ and Carlyjo (Cassijo has not been born yet) are on our way to Fort Gibson to church one Sunday morning. We were running late as usual.

Carly, sitting in her car seat in the back seat says, "Mommy I want the Daddy." I knew she had the Daddy in the car the day before so I started looking around for him. I looked in the floorboards front and back. Got out of my seat and stood on my head while Joe drove down the road to find the Daddy. I kept insisting that I didn't have the Daddy. She kept insisting that I did!

Carly "Mom you have the Daddy!"

Me: "Carly I DON'T have the Daddy!"

Carly" Mommy you have the Daddy!"

Me: Carly I don't have the Daddy! I never had the Daddy!"

Carly: " Mom look under your seat"

Me: " I have!! I. DON'T. HAVE. THE. DADDY! I. NEVER.HAD.THE DADDY!"

I think at this point Joe is about ready to pull the car over and run for his life. He asked me to look one more time and feel under the seat. If my memory serves me correctly he even suggested that his daughter was right and I should just check again....as she was only a little door* and he knew that she knew that i had the Daddy. (*she couldn't say girl so she said door)

Me: Feeling far under the seat......."Oh look. It's the Daddy."

he was wedged under the seat after all

Carly: "See Mommy you did have the Daddy!"

So now whenever Carly and I are "strongly discussing" an issue in Joe's presense he always (did you hear me folks?ALWAYS) says,

"Now AJ......who has the Daddy?"

They have never let me live that one down.

Thanks for making us smile Seeker!!