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.

My Other Baby

Here is our new addition to the Joe Family. This is ShelbyJo. She is a collie mix that Uncle Joe and the girls got from a rescue project in Pryor, a town about 40 miles away. She is a funny dog who loves me so much she tinkles in the floor when I get home. That is why I go straight to the kitchen floor.

She won't go outside for me. I have tried every trick and she is onto me. She will however follow Joe around, even outside.

She is still a big ole puppy and loves to chew on hands, toes, arms, legs, socks, panties, dolls and pig's ears. We are hoping she will grow out of that.

September Whatth??

Eighteenth??

Are you kidding me? Where did the time go??

Oh my what have we been up to? Last weekend the Joes went on a trip: The Joes Big Tent Camping Trip. Uncle Joe made a huge list and gathered up items all week for our trip. I was very impressed. He thought of almost everything we would need for a two day outing to Greenleaf State Park in Braggs, OK.

He and the girls left to pick a good spot as soon as they got out of school, leaving me to get last minute items and my clothes packed after work. They didn't get there in time to get a spot with electricity but got a fabulous spot anyway. We were out of the way at the edge of the park. Good for quiet, not so good for trips up to the bathroom. (and we all know with children that means 800 trips to the bathroom)

We awoke to the morning sun shining on us over the lake and it was beautiful. (after a quite chilly night...UJ swears he told me to bring more blankets but I think we had a bad cell phone connection and I didn't hear that so he and I had to snuggle really close under one blanket.) Uncle Joe cooked some eggs for breakfast as the girls snoozed a bit. After breakfast he even made coffe on the fire. What a man! (and what Manly coffee he made! it put hair on my chest!)

There was t thief among the campers too. We woke up to a mess of peanut shells on our table. UJ was ready to scold the girls until he talked to our neighbors who suggested that raccoons had been by. Yep they were right. All of our bread was gone too. We found clues later to confirm it.

The girls and I had to run into town for some Weight Watcher friendly food for Mommy and more bread and by the time we got back it was lunch time and we had company arriving!

Ted and Teddy came to visit followed shortly by my dad, then UJ's mom, sister and two nieces. We had a good visit and UJ, Teddy, Ted and I all played catch for about 45 minutes. My arms were noodley the next day when I tried to play catch again with Carly. The girls had a fawn walk right up to them to taste of Cousin Elle's apple. I guess those deer have it all figured out: where people are, there is food!!

The next day Cassidy and I walked around the park with Shelby , our new dog, and made friends everywhere we went. Kids+dog = instant friends!

We packed up the stuff and headed home and are looking forward to our next trip. I hope it is soon. I really had a good time.

Whew!

Yesterday I volunteered (well....with pay) to help one of my uncles do a catering. I really had no idea how much they would need me. I thought it would be a couple of hours, so that is what I was mentally prepared for.

I went at 3pm and got home at 9pm. It was a frenzy of food! Cheese was flying this way and that as I flung it on the twice baked new potatoes. The marinara was flowing as it was poured over sliced zuccini. Cooking spray fumes filled the air as we sprayed cooking sheets to bake bacon wrapped shrimp. I didn't even have time to go to the restroom until we got home. We hit the door running and didn't stop. I didn't realize how badly I had to "go" until I was driving home and had to make an emergency stop at Mom's.

I was not prepared to be out in the reception with the guests. I was dressed in shorts and tennies and an apron for cryin' out loud! There was no one else to help so I HAD to be out there. I tried to be invisible but you know how it is in a small town......"JOSEFINA!! I didn't know you did this!" Of course I saw every one I knew and was horrified that I looked so out of place. Oh well.....in my opinion, there should have been some better communication from my uncle who was "in charge".

He did get several offers to cater more events and I don't know if I will help out again or not. I will let you know after I get my check. :0) haha Oh, and I am charging him extra for the anxiety he gave me cutting it so close. We were putting the final food items in the warmer just minutes before the guests came in. We made it by the skin of our taters.

I went home and unloaded my left overs on UJ who ate them gladly and fell into bed exhausted.

Hmm

Wow I have blogging for two years!

Cool.

Happy Belated BloggerDay to me!

Glory Bee!!

Saturday afternoon, I decided to go to Tulsa. Why you ask?? I wanted to get a new digi camera at BestBuyorCircuitCityorSamsWholesaleClub.

UJ didn't sleep well...er rather he slept too well and way too late so he felt bad. There is something terribly wrong with that. When you sleep late you should feel GOOD, not bad! I hate it when that happens. Needless to say he was not his normal cheery self. (*snicker*)

I pulled out all the stops to convince him to go shopping with us. I whined, I cried, I showed leg, cleavage and the man must be made of steel because he turned down a 2 hour drive with 3 females to go shopping. Can you believe the self control this man must have?? This adventure even included a late lunch! Oh well, his loss. haha

We arrived in Tulsa famished from they days activities at home so we went to IHOP. Not my favorite, but the girls picked it. It was their turn to pick so I couldn't say anything except, "Check please." Cassidy and Carly ordered breakfast items while I opted for a yummy turkey samich. With our tummies full and bladders empty we headed to search for the camera.

Pit stop: Old Navy where my daughters managed to get two outfits each from the sale racks...Mom: nothing

Sams: it was a bust. nothing in our price range

Best Buy: BINGO!! Exactly what I wanted we chose wisely, bought the protection plan (since I lost my last digital camer to a few drops of water) and were on our way to the next stop: Woodland Hills mall.

By this time it is 8pm and we all know the malls close at 9pm so we had to hurry. Carly came prepared with her money that she earned the night before, but was reluctant to spend it. She would have rather spent mommy's money. haha what teenager wouldn't?

She found a couple of nice shirts at Aeropostale and Cassidy found some Princess figurines at The Disney Store. I was happy knowing that my camera awaited me in the car.

I have taken a few pictures but forgot to down load them before writing this post, so you will have to wait.

Stay tuned for pictures of Kai and his favorite Aunt SuSu. Tomorrow we will be dining with the Jory-San family before they depart for home in Japan.

That's all I have to tonight folks....g'nite.

Fry Day

Wow. Another week gone! The days fly by.....

I am just letting my thoughts wander tonight. Let's see where we end up shall we??

Go say Hi to Badoozie....she needs some cheering up.

My neighbor had a 4-D ultrasound this week and you would not believe the clarity of the pictures. You can see Baby Emily's nostrils!! How cool those things must be. Her US was totally for entertainment. Everything is going fine and Emily is still baking nicely.

Baby Kai loves all his Okie family. He is such a good baby and loves looking and laughing at us. I want to see him more and am restraining myself from hovering over them while they are here for their visit from Japan. They will be here one more week then back they go until Christmas-time.

Speaking of Christmas, how many shopping days are left? I should start saving now. My daughters are getting old enough that their "toys" are getting more and more expensive. :o)

CarlyJo locked herself out of her ipod. I should google a solution.

Uncle Joe had DirectTV installed this week. I haven't seen him since. haha Really it is a nice package, but who needs all those channels?? It does have a dvr so he can record things for me. Hey, Leslee there is a whole channel devoted to GH Today! You would love it.

I am going to attempt to sew some curtains for my kitchen this week. I have never sewed in my life. They may end up stapled together. :o)

We got a huge box of almonds from California this week. What a treat and what a yummy box!! We have had fun fun fun tasting all the different flavors. So far my fave is Razzberry Cheesecake. Check them out here.

We had a scare this week. One of CarlyJo's friend stepped on our cellar door and it collapsed. Kaitlin was not hurt, other than a nasty scrape to her belly and elbows THANK GOD. I am surprised UJ's defibrillator did not go off as scared as they all were.

Have you ever felt invisible? Sometimes I do.

My brain is tired and it wants to sleep now.

I will be attending a ladies retreat at my church tomorrow morning. Brunch, music and inspiration....sounds like a winner to me. :o)

Have a great weekend.

test

Rockin Saturday

Today my dad and I are going to a rock sale. What??!! I love rocks. Always have. My Nan loved rocks too. That must be where I get it from. I can remember sitting in her driveway when I was a little girl picking out all the smooth brown rocks. When we go to the Barren Fork Creek my cousin, Bret, and I always hunt for rocks with holes in them. I always come home with a sack full of rocks for Nan's rock garden that remains in front of our house. Bret's son, Blake also loves rocks. He once received a large bag of rocks from Nan as a birthday gift and absolutely loved it. When he comes to visit I always let him pick out a rock from the rock garden to take home.

CarlyJo wants to put something else there, but I am not ready to get rid of it yet. It has to be my idea and I am not ready to give it up yet. I think it will stay for a while longer and I will be adding some more rocks to it today. :o)

#14 on the 14th

Today is our 14th anniversary.

'bout this time 14 years ago we were sharing our first meal as a married couple: two Hardee's burgers and fries.

:o) I love you Joe.

Hurry Up and Wait!

Is anyone else waiting with bated breath for the new Casting Crowns album??

I thought it was being released yesterday and went on a search for it, only to find out it is TWO more weeks away. Ahhhhh!!

They are so awesome and have such a great message. I know that God will speak to me through their songs.....He always does.

Just wondering

When you eat a cinnamon roll or sweet roll, do you eat it in concentric circles or just dive in and eat it??

I eat around it in concentric circles. :o)

My CarlyJo

Here is Carly at church camp this summer. I look at it and wonder; WHERE DID MY BABY GIRL GO!!?? When did she turn in to this tweenager? She still has the cute little cowlick and the freckle on her cheek that I love to kiss.

*Sigh* Time sure does fly.......

You would think

You would think that with the huge doses of cough medicine I have been taking all week I would be passed out by 9pm. Nope, I have not been bed before midnight one night this week.

The girls are starting school in two weeks. Uncle Joe is counting the days. I can't believe we made it again. This summer has blown by so fast! It seems as though at my age time flies whether you are having fun or not.

Jory San, Noriko and Baby Kai will be arriving in two weeks as well. I am looking forward to seeing them again. It has been a year since I have seen Jory last and my lips are quaking in anticipation of kissing that Kai!

that is about all I can muster up tonight. I am outside on my laptop and the monster mosquitoes are about to carry me away......

Stupid Germs

Dang germs! The girls and I were supposed to meet Leslee and Peanut for dinner at Sam & Ella's tonight but Leslee called and she has strep throat and I am still feeling a little under the weather myself. We decided we wouldn't be so generous as to share our germs with each other and our children, so we postponed the visit til next time.

*Sniff*

Heavy Breather

Last night something very frightening happened to me.

I went to bed about midnight after a rousing round of Wii games with Uncle Joe. I was bright eyed and bushy tailed due to the Albuterol Inhaler I have been huffing. I settled down into bed and finally went to sleep only to be awakened by myself gasping for air at 2am.

I can usually shake it pretty easily by sitting up and sipping a bit of water and breathing really slow. Not this time. I walked into the living room....well stumbled is more like it. I know I must have had a terrified look on my face when I looked at Joe. I needed my inhaler and didn't see my purse.

I tried to stay calm but didn't do a very good job. I got the inhaler and took a couple of puffs. After a few minutes of it calming a bit but not going away, Joe made an executive decision and called Mom to come and sit with the girls while he took me to the ER. Mom had a better idea: go to the EMS station a mile away and let them check me out. (I was all for that since going to ER would mean the rest of the night over there and really no guarantee they could even do anything.)

We arrived to a dark station and knocked on the door. My friend, Mike was the Paramedic on duty. That was a good thing. :o) They hooked me up to a pulse ox monitor and it was fine. EKG fine. I knew I had a good heart. haha.. I was able to tell them everything that happened but got short of breath just speaking, so they gave me an Albuterol breathing treatment, which helped open my airway up and I was able to breathe again. Thank God. Aside from a bit of diminished lung sounds on one side I was fine and avoided going to the ER and saving myself a boat load of money. This is one of the GREAT things about living in a small town. :o)

When I got to work I checked with the Physicians Assistant that treated me and told him what happened. We looked at an updated xray and he decided to change my antibiotics. I think I feel a bit better already. I did go and invest in a humidifier that will sit on my bedside tonight. ( I just sold our other one in the garage sale since we hadn't used it in years! Bonus: I found on on clearance at Walgreens!! cha-ching!)

Right now I am sitting outside breathing the nice moist night air and it feels good. I haven't coughed much tonight. I don't want to wake up like that ever again. I am pretty sure that is the scaredest I have ever been.

Thank you Lord for looking out for me, providing me with Joe to take care of me and for the EMS guys who were available to help out a heavy breather. :o)

Hoarse of course

I have been coughing and hacking since we were in Hickville last week and my voice slowly faded to a whisper. (Joe has been very happy.) I am usually very healthy so this all caught my by surprise. I coughed and would lose my breath and got pretty frightened especially at night when being unable to breathe woke me up.

After fighting it on my own for at least 3 days I finally got some medical attention today. Sounds easy since I work in a medical clinic.....but no. We have been so busy with all the OTHER sick people, I didn't get treated. Today I took matters in my own hands and asked for a chest xray and was the last patient of the day.

I have "either late bronchitis or early infiltrate". Sounds yucky, but the meds are working and I am praising Albuterol Inhaler and really enjoying the cough medicine! :o) I am on the mend, but haven't felt up to my usual. Uncle Joe has cooked supper AND cleaned up every night this week, and boy do I appreciate that.

The girls are in swim lessons this week and next week, so they get up early and go to Aunt Andi's to ride with Elle and Alli to lessons. They are having fun and getting a little sun. CassiJo is still trying to work up her courage to dive (and not belly flop) into the pool. Carly is honing her already adequate swim skills. UJ picks them up mid morning and they gallyvant around the rest of the day.

In other news~
JorySan and his family are coming home next month. We are all very excited to see Baby Kai for the first time. I hope he likes me.

My cough medicine is really working well and my eyes are getting very heavy......so I am off to enjoy this buzz before it wears off.

A Hickville Hootenanny

Uncle Joe, The Little Jo Girls and I are on vacation in Hickville USA. It is about a half of a tank of gas away from our home in Green Country and has several activities and attractions that we wanted to share with the girls.

I googled a map and had a plan for the trip, the promptly forgot to bring it with us. I was captain and UJ was the navigator. He chose a route that APPEARED to be quick on the atlas we had in the car. He later informed me, after mile after mile of windy, curvy, hilly roads that he didn't have his glasses on otherwise he would have notice it said SCENIC route. It was nice for the first few miles, then all that Diet Pepsi hit me. Then it was torture every mile. I stopped at the first convenience store in the middle of the woods.

We came into Hickville and Uncle Joe said, "You know who lives here don't you? Jamie Dawn."

I wondered if she and her family were up to a blogger meet, so I emailed her as soon as we got to the hotel, and waited with bated breath til morning. I got up first thing and checked my email and she agreed!! We were so excited :o) What a pleasant surprise!

We went to a local amusement park today and had a ball. They had two water rides that kept us cool and a nice water park that we didn't have the energy to play in. I had to drag CassiJo out crying for the water park. I had to promise to take her to Big Splash in Tulsa when we got back. It was just too hot for us and we had to get ready for our blogger meet!

Jamie Dawn and her family arrived at our hotel at 7pm on the dot. We were in the lobby incognito but she recognized us right away. It must have been UJ's Batman shirt that gave us away. She came bearing gifts of, you guessed it: truffles! and almonds from her familys farm in California.

She was tall just like I thought she would be and her family was just beautiful. You can tell they love each other very much and are very close.

We followed them to a wonderful restaurant on the lake...and I mean right ON the lake. We were seated right on the water on the "porch". The food was wonderful. I had "herb encrusted tilapia" and Jamie Dawn had sweet potatoe fries. They may sound kind of odd, but take our word, they are fabulous!
We had a great visit, and talked about all kinds of things. I think I probably jabbered. I usually do when I am nervous. The girls were a little subdued in the company of new friends, but soon warmed up. Cassidy warmed up so much she sang her rendition of "Oklahoma" for JamieDawn before we left. :o)

We both got pictures of our group, so stay tuned!

Thanks for taking time to meet us Jamie.! We hope to do it again some day. Maybe at Bloggerstock '08! :o)

The Graduate 20 Years Later

Here is a photo from the reunion held Saturday night.

This is my friend, Shanna. We attended school from 1st grade all the way through 12th grade together. :o)

*corrected thanks to Susie! haha*

Class Reunion

1987 was the year and I was a senior in High School.

Last night we had our informal class reunion at the Field House at the High School here in Ft. Gibson. We had a large turn out since it was a free event and children were welcomed. :o)

I am on the planning committee so yesterday was a very busy day buying door prizes and making last minute arrangements. Thank goodness for CarlyJo! She went along with me to help set up. My partner in crime Angela (or Peanut as we called her in school) brought her two children, Shelby and Caleb, and we had the place looking festive with school spirit pretty quick.

I don't understand it, but most of the absentee classmates were ones that live in our area. I guess they see each other enough on a daily basis. We threatened to go to their houses and crash them.....wouldn't that be mean?? (but SO funny!)

I tried to talk my Best Friend, Mindi (Min) into coming, but she wouldn't. I begged her too! I am glad I get to see her on a weekly basis, but I know there are others that would love to see her too!

Tonight is our Adults-only dinner and that has me a little anxious too. Oh well, when I get anxious I tend to clean and disappear into the back ground. At least the banquet hall will be clean. :o)

I hope to have some pictures later.

Uncle Joe and all the Girl-Jo's will be on a mini vacay til Wednesday so pray for our travel safety.....I'll be driving.

Have a great weekend y'all.

~Tawni Camille Smith~

Saturday evening one of my little cousins drowned in a terrible accident. Her name was Tawni Camille. A little sprite of a girl who was the apple of her daddy's eye.

She and her family were playing at a low water bridge in Fort Gibson. Her parents had warned the children about the dangers of the current, especially near a washed out area that created a whirlpool where the water was making its way under the concrete slab that made the low water bridge. Their attention was drawn away for a few minutes and the strong current pulled her under. They never heard a sound.

Rescuers from 2 counties came at the call for help and they searched for her over an hour.

She was 8 years old.

Please remember her family in your prayers. They do not have a church family and are having a very difficult time. They are surrounded by our HUGE family and have found comfort with each visit.

Whole Lotta Work

For a litta bitta cash!

I decided to clean out the garage this past week and sell what we didn't need out of there. (Isn't is amazing how we can determine others posessions to be garage sale fodder much easier than we can our own?) "If we haven't needed it by now, we don't need it any more!" was my slogan for the week. I have made a huge dent in out there and I am very proud of my dent if I do say so myself. My garage is now empty enough that I could have the next sale at my house instead of my parent's house. :o)

Carly will be home from her first week away at church camp. They went to Falls Creek in Davis Oklahoma. It rained alot (that is actually an understatement...we are neare flood stage!)this week here in Oklahoma so I am sure they had a water logged time. I only heard from her one time!! I am not sure if that makes me happy or sad!! That meant she was either having a fabulous time or duct taped to the bunk! I cannot wait to hear the stories. I bet we talk a mile a minute when she gets home tomorrow.

Cassidy will be selling cookies and lemon aide for those of you who might be available to stop by the garage sale tomorrow. They will be the best Oatmeal Chocolate Chip or Sugar Cookies you have ever had. Promise!! (and if you find an eggshell in your cookie you get a prize!)

Uncle Joe and I had to take Charlie Cat to the vet today. Seems his Cat Cage Fighting caught up with him in the form of an infected eye injury. He will be in the Animal Hosptital all weekend for a surgical procedure to remove all the infection and some TLC and pain meds. We knew he wasn't feeling well when he didn't fight going into the cat carrier. Last time he had a ringtail fit and ran away from the vet's office as they tried to get him in there. (The receptionist was very upset about that as it was her FIRST DAY ON THE JOB!)

Me? I am just enjoying the day off. We shut down today's sale about noon-thirty and now I have some free time to enjoy.

I am still kicking

I have not fallen off the face of the earth, just busy.....

Mom was in the hospital for two days this week. A terrible bout of colitis had her writhing in abdominal pain and Dad finally got her to go to to the ER Monday afternoon. After waiting over 5 hours, she finally got to see a doctor. (My and My SIL's diagnosis of diverticulitis was almost right!) She was given some wonderful pain med via iv and had a ct scan and it confirmed colitis. She had iv antibiotics for 48 hours and was sent home to a bland diet for 2 weeks. She is not happy about that, but is complying nicely. Thanks for all your prayers when our need went out. :o)

UJ took me and Cassidy to a Burn Out contest last night her in Fort Gibson. I have never been to one, but it was kinda fun! There were several cars, some entering more than once, that were very impressive! The lone female driver was my favorite. She had a black pick up and did really well. She made it to the finals, but did not place. There was a 5 way tie for first place. So, they had to split the $500 pot 5 ways. Dang! I bet they were a little miffed.

Left: one of the winners

Right: the amount of smoke he produced stopped traffic on the highway!

I had a covert picture of some interesting pants I saw on a young girl, but I guess I accidentally deleted it. I was so afraid I would be caught trying to take the picture by the people standing behind me, but i did it! I was so proud. She had ripped her jeans and laced them back up with a strand of velvet cord leaving a big gap showing her leg. She had on black panty hose.....complete with the panty part showing. (c'mon!! sheer hose woman!!) there were also several hundred safety pins holding various other holes and rips shut.

I wish I had been able to get a pic of one of the judges. He has the best helmet hair I have seen in a long time. It was lacquered and full.

So......today is the Car Show down town. We may head down there and check it out too. UJ got interested in all the old trucks. We have a '47 Ford he has dreamed of getting fixed up.......

Have a great weekend y'all. Tell your Daddy you love him.

PS:My parent's 40th Wedding Anniversary is today! I am so proud of them. My mother should be sainted for putting up with my Dad for 40+years. :o) haha He came by my office yesterday for flower advice. He wanted me to pick up something for Mom and I refused. I know that his effort to go pick out the flowers and deliver them is what will make her happy. :o)

Wii and Mii

Uncle Joe went shopping today and came home with a Wii. He and the girls have been playing it all evening. I think it is great since it combines SOME physical activity with video games.

If you don't know, you have a "mii" , an electronic representation of yourself to play with in the game. You design your "mii" to look like you. Uncle Joe's was pretty accurate, what with the bald head and all it wasn't too hard. Carly's mii has big eyes just like hers, and Cassidy's hair looks a lot like hers. I just couldn't get mine right. The eyes were very hard to choose......beauty is hard to duplicate. *snickering* haha

We just finished a week of VBS. We being my children and my mother. They had a lot of fun, but I believe the adults are totally glad they are done!! The music was great and I expect that we will be hearing it being sung at the top of Cassidy's lungs for months. :o) There was two songs that I loved and learned pretty quick when I went up to help today. It always chokes me up to see all those kids up on stage singing their hearts out to Jesus. Cassidy gave her heart to Him today. What a great day this turned out to be!

Carly was a helper the whole week and her teacher, Mrs. Joyce said she was a huge help. There were a couple of kids who took a shining to her and kinda wallered her all week. (Just a preview of parenthood I say!)

I WAS going to take some time off next week to be with my hubby while my children are at Branson Missouri with my parents for their annual get away, but my request was not approved. Dang it!! I was looking forward to some uninterrupted time with UJ.

Summer School has started and Cassidy attends from 8-12 Monday - Thursday. She gets up so nicely so far! I hope it continues. It is easy to stay up too late at night since it is summer break.....so we are working on staying on schedule.

I am very sleepy at this moment and will go to bed now.


Good night Y'all!

Haiku

Rain fell on the floor
the thunder made a noise
the lightening flashed

~by Cassidy
Age 7

Happy Boobah!

Uncle Joe had another boobah today!!

The girls and I were naughty and stayed home from church today so we could be home to enjoy Joe ALL DAY. A whole day of birthday togetherness was just about too much to handle!!

I made a nummy lunch and dessert (and can you believe I forgot to put the candles on the cake? i made a special trip to get them and then forgot them! I am not even sure where they are at this moment)

We rested and let our meal settle then went to see Shrek the Third. It was pretty cute. Since we had just eaten we didn't pig out on the normal movie fare of Dots and/or M&M's and popcorn and pop. We just shared a large pop. (soda for you northerners) Well having to children who are afraid it" isn't going to be FAIR if she gets more than me" they swigged all the drink and had to go to the bathroom 3 times!!

Leslee: we had a Twisted Joe pretzel in your honor before we left too! :o)

When we left there we decided to to a bit of shopping for supper and stopped at Albertsons where my wits almost ended. We got some sandwich fixin's and headed home to enjoy the rest of the day with Joe.

Happy Birthday Joe! I hope you had fun..........

Flat Stanley, Major Ladies Man

Flat Stanley went to church with us. He captured the heart of Miss Allie in a flash.











Next he flirted with the preachers daughter, Taylor. They have agreed to stay in touch after Stanley has to return home.













Stanley and CarlyJo found a frog in our back yard. Stanley wanted to keep the frog in the house, but I had to put my foot down and say no. They will just have to visit Mr. Frog Legs in his natural habitat.













Stanley found a jumpin little juke joint. He made friends with the "interesting" musician playing there. What song to you think they are singing??









Thanks to CassiJo, Stanley had a nutritious breakfast every morning of his visit.

Stanley will be traveling back home this weekend. He is getting a little tire of his travels and is missing home and his friends and family. He has asked to take Allie and Taylor home with him, but the girls have prior engagements this summer and weren't too crazy about having flat hair ALL the time. :o)

Thanks for visiting Stanley!!

Cassi-ism

Today after spending the afternoon taking dance class pictures Cassidy and I stopped at Braums for an ice cream cone. ( I recommend the Cappaccino Chunky Chocolate) Cassidy chose Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough on a waffle cone. They don't put kiddie size portions in those huge waffle cones, so I opted for sugar cones for our little balls of joy.

Cassidy is enjoying her cone and almost done with it when in true sugar cone fashion, it cracked and a piece broke off. She said, "Mom this wheat cone sure is tender!"

I think she is on to something.

Happy Mudders Day

I would be very sad if I were this mudder's Mother. :o)

Seriously, though:

To My Mother:

It has taken me my whole adult life to comprehend all you did for us, taking care of us and making our house a home, making sacrifices for us and teaching us to always do the right thing. Thank you for all you do for us to this day. Your help is welcomed and very much appreciated. I am so proud to call you my mother. You are a wonderful woman and I love you very much.

Thank you for making me laugh, letting me cry and for being my friend.

Love,

Suzy

Seven The Perfect Number

Here is my meme tagged by Leslee:

Write 7 random facts about you and tag 7 people to play along
I could write more, but you might puke. haha

1. I have freckles between my toes

2. My nose is crooked and I didn't notice until 3 years ago when looking at a photograph. One of my eyes is weird too. I am a mutant.

3. I blush very easily.

4. I was in the Colorguard in Highschool. I was the first rifle twirler. I loved it and still have my rifle and can still twirl it. You may think of us as band geeks but we had so much fun and those kids were some of the best kids in the school. :o) I was even Captain one year, and Band Queen the next. I was totally embarrassed and totally honored. I was terrified to kiss my escort, Rusty. I think I turned 9 shades of red. See #3

5. I love chocolate and think that I have to have some every day.

6. When we go to steak restaurants I always order chopped steak. It makes Joe laugh. When we were in Texas for the Jazz Fest, Terry and Sharon took us to Haufbrau for lunch on Sunday. When I ordered chopped steak they laughed. There may have been some money exchanging hands in payment of a bet, I don't know, but I think Joe won. He knows me like a book and I like that.

7. I can tie a cherry stem in a knot with my tongue. It is a special talent that my friends Linda and Deanna taught me. I demonstrated it for BaDoozie and Dylan when they came. Dylan wasn't impressed.

Tagging: Joe, Carly, ANP, Carol, Ted, Anne and who ever else wants to play.

You can leave your answers in my comments. :o)

Show me the money!!

Prayers are answered!

In our mailbox!

Blessings with dollar signs!

Thanks Uncle Sam!

Mow is Me

Whew! Uncle Joe started mowing the lawn while I was working at the office today and I finished it up when I got home. The mower only bogged down 88 times. Way better than I expected. You see, it has been raining a lot here and our yard seems to hold water longer than most.....and the yard grew quite a bit.


The most terrible thing happened too. I'll make a long, sad story short: Baby bird fell out of nest. Move trampoline to mow. Screeching AJ. Poor baby bird!

Highball!

We made it safely home from our trip about 745pm tonight. Sadly we missed CassiJo's musical at church. I made myself sick on the way home worrying about it, but thankfully, she was not to upset with us. (as a matter of fact, after kissing the car window when we drove up, the first thing she asked about was what we brought her. :o) that's a kid for you!)

We had a really nice relaxing time at the Jazz Fest. The weather was absolutely perfect for sitting outside. Nice and sunshiney with an occassional breeze to cool us off. The area we chose to sit in also had intermittant shade throughout the day so that was nice also, especially for us fair skinned chicks. Uncle Joe has already started working on his farmers tan so he just got a bit more tanned on his baldy cranium, thanks to the sunscreen he slathered on.

Our friends, Terry and Sharon from Benbrook came down midday and enjoyed all the music with us. They came down last year also and we all looked forward to being together again. (Terry and Uncle Joe went to school together)

We listened to Nawlins Gumbo Kings, Rosana Eckert and annagrey among others. They were all good and each brought a different flavor of music to the festival. I don't thinkI could pick a favorite if you asked me to, so don't. haha Terry enjoyed Rosana Ecker so much he asked for her autograph. He was too shy to go ask for it so Sharon and I accepted the mission and camped out at the musician's gate and obtained the coveted autograph thanks to a kind gate keeper guy named Chip.

When we returned from the mission, Annagrey was onstage and they guys announced "I think we want to stay for a while and hear the next set. " Click on her link and you will see why. She is very beautiful and has a beautiful voice. I was glad we stayed when it was all said and done.

We split up girls/guys and headed home to Terry and Sharon's home, about 45 minutes away. Sharon and I were on the highway and ran into a traffic jam and ended up taking a long short-cut home.....seems everyone and their Aunt Mildred had the same idea we did. We did have an interesting sight on the way home though: a motorcycle rider passed us, turned to look over his shoulder as if he was expecting some friends, then put his bootie in the air, his right knee on the seat of the cycle and proceeded to ride the longest wheelie i have ever seen! I think he saw how hawt we were and was showing off for us. I tried to grab my camera phone to get a shot but it was too dusky. It really was a spectacular wheelie.....

Sharon and I also talked about a trip back to Texas this summer with the girls in tow. She thought of several activities we could do, all with in minutes of their home. The US Mint, The Fort Worth Zoo and Six Flags Over Texas, Texas Ranger baseball and huge malls! :o)

We had a great late dinner at Olive Garden and had a good time messing with the young waiter. When he came to talk to us his voice went down at least one octave and Terry teased him unmercifully. We gave him a nice tip to make up for it. :o)

By the time we got home, we were tuckered out from the sun and the good food we had in our tummies, but managed to stay up and laugh some more. I got the best seat in the house : a recliner with a massage pad in it. (i sat in it for about 40 minutes and was all nice and relaxed for bed.)


It was a great weekend and great company. The closer I got to home the more I wanted to see our girls. They were very happy to see us and had a great time with Nana and Papa. Carly got to make some money while we were gone, and you can imagine how happy that makes a tweenager! Cassi and Nana had fun at chior and a full day of church today. I know Nana and Papa really enjoy having them around, but I am sure they enjoy it when they go home too. :o) haha

P.S. Highball! Is a railroader's term, and I will have to get a recap on what it actually means from Terry as I (in true form) don't remember. :o)

All that, and Jazz

This is what we will be listening to ALL DAY tomorrow here in Denton. I can't wait for a day in the sun with some good music, a good book, good food and great company.

We arrived in Denton mid afternoon and after we got settled in the hotel we ventured out for some great Thai food at Siam House. This is the second time we have visited this great place. It is decorated very eclectically and the service is very personal. The owner is the host and server and came to our table several times to visit and ask questions. He did do something very odd though. He use the word "aye" alot. It seemed funny to me and I smiled when he said it. It just didn't fit his persona. I had the Pad Thai...my favorite dish. I just can't get away from it. Maybe if we had the opportunity to have it more I would venture out a bit. UJ had some kind of curry chicken dish and it was pretty good too. (but not too filling as we had to stop @ Krystal for a small bag-o-burgers on the way home after some shopping)

We also got to do a little shopping in the huge malls surrounding our hotel. One mall was really horrible for us and didn't really have any stores we enjoyed except Barnes & Noble. Couldn't you just stay there all day looking at those books?? I overheard some employees talking:

Man: "Do you know where my list is?"

Woman: "You probably laid it down on some books. I do that all the time....leave something to look at an interesting new book."

They sounded like 'perfect' book store employees don't you think??

There is lots of traffic here and I think my driving may have made Uncle Joe a tiny bit nervous. I don't know why. ;o)

Ok I am off to enjoy a long hot bath and some cable tv, and what ever else comes up.

Good night to all near and far........

Kai Love You

Here is our new baby, Baby Kai, my nephew. Isn't he just the sweetest thing you have seen??

I think he is dreaming of coming to see us, or maybe just the next time he gets to nurse. :o)

BaDoozie Quizzicals

remember you asked for it, so you have to answer these...heehee ~BaDoozie

1. Whats the longest you've gone without a shower in your life?
Maybe 48 hours when I was sick. A shower after being sick feels SOOOOO good.

2. If you were starving and dehydrated, with no help in sight wouldyou drink your own urine?
Yikes! I am pretty sure NO.

3. Who is your favorite boss of all time?
Dr. Tom Morgan hands down. He genuinely cared for us and took care of us. We worked hard for him and made him alot of money and kept patients happy.

4. What is your most annoying habit?
Holding back for fear of rejection


5. If given a choice between duct tape or a ball of twine, whichwould you chose and why
Duct tape for sure. It is very versatile; you can form clothing and other neato
items from it. It is also very hard for children to get off their mouths.


DIRECTIONS FOR THE INTERVIEW MEME
1. Leave me a comment saying, "Interview me."
2. I will respond by emailing you five questions. I get to pick the questions.
3. You will update your blog with the answers to the questions.
4. You will include this explanation and an offer to interview someoneelse in the same post.
5. When others comment asking to be interviewed, you will ask themfive questions.

Ted is Jammin'

Our very own Ted has made the paper! Look at his article here

Ted we pray that God has his hand on your project and that He provides for you and your music in a BIG way. :o)

P.S. I have kept my schedule open if you need a DooWap Girl :o) heehee

Gotta love duct tape!

This is Megan and her prom date in DUCT TAPE PROM WEAR!! Is this not hilarious!? She goes to my church and is a doll. I don't know him at all but he must be pretty cool to wear a tape suit for his girl. I will have to ask her how she made this when I see her Sunday morning. :o)

Here are some more interesting duct tape dates.

These Shoes

These shoes make me happy when I wear them.

I found them last weekend and plan on wearing them to The Denton Jazz Fest next weekend.

I think I broke my baby toe yesterday. It turned purple while I was at work and now it hurts inside my happy shoes.

Our friends, Prayerful Mom & Dad came over last night and had supper waiting on me when I got home from work...how awesome is that?? Steak, potatoes and salad, and of course Diet Pepsi to drink! :o)

Hope you all have a great weekend. We are off to Old Fort Days later to check out some old fashioned people and crafts. I like the kettle korn. :o)

Anticipation

My Brother In Law, Jory-San and his wife Noriko had their baby this week-a boy! They live in Japan so we are having to enjoy him via the internet. There are kiss marks all over all my computer screens. It is very embarassing.

He was born April 11th and weighed 6 pounds 4 ounces and was 19.1 inches long.....quite a long little guy to have been born 3 weeks early and to my petite SIL Noriko!

What?? His name?? It has not been announced yet. The anticipation is great!! Why? A name is very important and has to "fit" you know. Jory and Noriko had several chosen but wanted to see my nephew first before chosing. Choosing a Japanese name is a bit more involved than just choosing a name they like he tells me. They have to consider the characters in the name and in his case it also has to be a name that his Oklahoma family can pronounce. :o) They want his name to be Bi-National either in full or as a shortened version. He gave this example: A Japenese name like Kenji shorted to Ken would sound American. I did get one tiny hint: the name they have narrowed down to has a coincidental link to his Oklahoma family. Of course, being an out-law, I have no clue what this could be.

So for now, he is Baby-San

I will refrain from posting a picture, so Jory can be first to show off his little papoose. I will tell you he is beautiful and I just know his head smells good. :o)

Baby-San, can you say Aunt Su Su??

Well I Never:

Here is a new meme from Beanie

LIST FOUR SENTENCES YOU'VE NEVER SAID BEFORE:
1. No, Uncle Joe I don't want to ......you know.
2. Again??
3. No, I don't want a warm chocolate chip cookie.
4. I have too much money in the bank??

LIST ANY NUMBER OF SONG TITLES THAT DESCRIBE HOW YOU'VE FELT THIS WEEK:
1. Quando , Michael Buble
2. Pseusudio, Phil Collins
3. Consuming Fire, Third Day
4. All My Tears, Selah

IMAGINE YOU'RE HAVING THE IDEAL PERFECT DAY. WHAT FOUR THINGS WOULD YOU BE DOING
1. Reading a book
2. On a sandy beach
3. in a bikini
4. lookin hot and thin-ish (Hey it's MY perfect day......)

MAKE UP FIVE CREATIVE NAMES FOR A NEW ROCK BAND:
1. Big Girl Panties
2. Moey and a Dude
3. Crosstown Musicworks
4. Tonedef Crowd
5. Major Jam

CONGRATULATIONS! YOU GET TO GO BACK IN TIME AND ENSURE THAT THREE SONGS WERE NEVER WRITTEN, THUS SPARING HUMANITY FROM EVER HAVING TO HEAR THEM. WHAT THREE SONGS WOULD GET THE AXE?
1. Oops I Did it Again, Britney Spears
2. I Will Always Love You, Whitney Houston
3. Party All the Time, Eddie Murphy

It's all in the ring

Don't you find it funny to be in a quiet office and this prissy proper person standing in front of you has a cell phone ringing to Nickelback's Rock Star?? I do.

Can't you tell alot about a person by their cell phone ring? You can deduce what kind of music they like, how good their hearing is and what they think of the caller, all in one tiny little ring.

I don't have a crazy ring tone yet. I am still searching for that perfect one to describe me. Maybe "Feelin Good" by Michael Buble?? Susudio by Phil Collins...BTW I know I spelled it wrong.....

What is your ring tone and for whom doeth it chime??

Four O'clock

I got a pot-o-four-o'clocks today.

Leslee swung by on her way to visit her family in Tahlequah and we had a good visit and a good supper at Charlies Chicken.

Why is it though that kids want to be right in the middle of the conversation when there are perfectly good rooms to play in that are full of toys?? Cass had someone to play with and where did she perfer to be?? Right between me and Leslee while we were visiting. Go figure.

We had fun and ate way too much.

Peanut to Leslee: "Mom you could have just said No when I asked for more pie."
Leslee and I looked at each other and laughed. Me to Peanut, "Or you could have just not asked for it." she looked at me like I was speaking Greek. :o)

Thanks for coming by to play Leslee.....we always have fun when you are around.

Uncle Joe's New Do

Not a great picture, but here is Uncle Joe's new do.

I actually like it. I didn't think I would, but it does look nice. I want him to grow a 'soul patch' like Howie Mandel next. :o)

~Friday Dance

Woohoo!! It's Friday! It's Friday!! *dancing around the room wildly*

Hey wait a minute. Why am I excited? I just have to work tomorrow too, awww heck.

I found something neat for the girlies at my house to try. It is a straw with chocolate in it that makes chocolate milk as you sip it through the straw. I forget what they are called. Found them at Walgreens. I will be reporting more later.

In other news: I am sleepy.

In other other news: CarlyJo is still sick but is currently medicated and on the mend. Uncle Joe picked up her homework today so she should be caught up by Monday, unless she waits til Sunday night to do it....and she will unless we sit on her and make her do it. :o)

In other other other news: The Denton Jazz Fest is coming up in a few weeks and I am looking forward to that trip again! Uncle Joe and I go (alone) down to Denton Texas to the Jazz Fest where we sit in lawn chairs and listen to music all day and ocassionally wander about to get some yummy food or look at arts and crafts. I usually take a book and read read read to my hearts content. We will also be visiting with one of UJ's highschool buddies that leaves nearby. That is always fun.

in other other other other news: Cassidy's foot and back are healing nicely and she is on the run again, being careful to watch out for bees and stray hammers.

And now for something completely different: I love getting memes, but it seems that all of them have been circulated. I was laughing to myself today trying to come up with really weird questions, like "When was the last time you picked your nose?" or " Did you ever taste ear wax when you were young?" or "What is the worst thing you have ever done?" I know I am weird and very easily entertained............

In conclusion: I need to get on home and get my lawn mowed. Is that weird....mowing in March? I love mowing the grass, although it is a bit more work now that our yard is ginormous. It will take me a couple of hours to do it now where as in Muskogee it only took me about 30 minutes. :o)

Have a great Friday evening.

Broke Back Hill

We managed to have the tramp in our back yard one full day before someone got hurt. Uncle Joe brought Cassidy into the doctor's office where I work Monday and when the doctor asked her why she was there she said, "I broke my back."

After a thorough exam the doctor concluded after watching her get up and down off the exam table several times that she must have just strained a muscle in her back, told us to give her Motrin and stay off the trampoline for a week.

Top it all off: Uncle Joe is outside making a trellis and a bee got after Cassidy. While she was running away from the bee she stepped on the claw end of the hammer and severely scratched her foot. After a good quick clean up by her new hero, Daddy, we got her all bandaged up with some hot pink coban and she was off and running pretty quick.

Carly is feeling a little under the weather today. I had hoped that we had missed all the sickness that is going around here and I am afraid she will succomb to it. We must get her medicated and resting quick!

Uncle Joe is out in the garden every day getting some good sunshine-therapy. That has helped a boat-load!! He is getting a farmer's tan too.....oh yea, he also shaved his head slicker than a billiard ball, so he is also getting a red head and a red neck. :o)

That is about all my brain can think of at the moment........

G'nite y'all!

The Tramp

No, I am not talking about that girl in High School that stole my boyfriend.

G-mom (UJ's mom) and GrandPat bought the girls a new trampoline, (or JUMPoline as Carly called it when she was little) this weekend.

G-mom called and said she, UJ and the girls had talked about picking it up this weekend so I called Walmart to make sure they were in stock. They were in stock and off I went.......after checking with Papa, my dad, to ask him to help me put it together.

Bought it with no incident. That was the easy part.

The next 3 hours were a blur of metal pieces, springs and netting. We are not stupid people, but it took us a long time to put that thing together! (When all else fails, read instructions) We perservered, mainly due to three little girls coming out of or around the house saying, "Is it ready yet? Is it ready yet?" and we got it, and the netting frame up last night and my cousin, Renita came and helped me get the netting up. She is a bit taller than me and had put one together previously, otherwise I was going to have to call on my SIL Andi to help me tomorrow. :o)

If anyone of you purchase a trampoline, and there is a $50 charge to have it assembled for you, it is TOTALLY worth it. My hands, arms and back are sore today from all that pushing and pulling, straining and groaning. I am chock full of Naproxen today.

We had fun jumping on it all afternoon and it will be great exercise for the girls.

I wonder if Uncle Joe will jump on it too??

iPod vs washing machine

Late Sunday evening, I was putting Carly's laundry from the washing mashine into the dryer so she would have her favorite outfit ready to wear Monday morning. As I pulled out the clothes I came across a set of head phones. "Hmmmmm" I thought. "That sure does look like iPod ear buds. " I kept pulling out clothes and lo and behold......her iPod at the bottom of the washer.

"AAAAAAHHHHHH!!!" my mind was racing! "All that money!! Wasted!! Down the drain. I am never buying her another one!"

I broke the news to her the next day. She was very sad. I put it in my pocket so I would remember to put it in my car in the warm sunshine, hoping it would dry out. I inadvertantly kept it in my pocket all day and maybe that was a good thing, because I am one hot mama you know. ;o)

I googled this problem and found out something strange: as far as water encounters for iPods, the "best" one is with a washing mashine. Why?? The spin cycle and clean water.

I plugged the iPod into the computer last night and what do you think happened??

IT POWERED UP!! I was totally shocked and amazed. I am an Apple lover forever.

There was an article in our local news paper that basically said that Apple was the best because their stuff "just works". That is very true. We bought Carly a lesser known mp3 player and it was so stinkin hard to figure out that we just took the blasted thing back and said, "We are too dumb to work this." Apple just works. You plug it in and it works. End of story. We are happy Joes now!

iPod vs Washing mashine WINNER: Apple iPod!!!

PS Do not try this at home. This accidental experiment was performed by fruit (CarlyJo) that didn't fall from tree (Me).

Etc......

I am determined to make a post today. About what I have no idea.

I totally failed the "Spring Forward" last night. I let Cassidy stay up and watch a movie with Uncle Joe while I worked on the computer til 10:30pm. Once I realized what was going to happen the next morning when we were done sprung, I hurried her into the shower to wash off the day's fun. ie: dirt on her piggies, knees, elbows and nose. In the interest of brevity, I jumped in with her and got the job done and got her in bed lickety split.

Well it just wasn't enough sleep for her because she was just too tired to get up for church. I was nice and left her in her wad of blankets, snoozing away, hoping she would get enough rest while I went to church.

Carly went back to Snoozeville too, even though I crawled in bed and tickled her awake.

I didn't even TRY to roust Joe up. He is in much need of mega loads of sleep these days. His daytime garden escapades are tiresome.

Our Sunday School class is so awesome. We have the largest class in our church, averaging over 20 ladies a week. Our pastor's wife is the teacher and she is just so great. She is definitely a "Type A" personality and very vibrant and full of energy, and so in love with Jesus and it shows. She is very challenging and is a wonderful teacher. I look forward to every Sunday morning lesson with her.

The girls and I are at Mom and Dad's right now. They were having a Disney channel craving and I needed to check my emails. Hey what happened yesterday with Blogger and Google?? I couldn't comment on any blog or check my gmail. It was very annoying!

Well there you have it, the sum of my etc..........

Have a great week wherever you are.