Saturday, May 31, 2008

Farmers Market and Fun

I went to the Farmer's Market today with my parents and got Uncle Joe and I some nice looking veggies for lunch tomorrow. Those are sugar snap peas, new potatoes and sweet taters if you can't tell. I also picked up a mint plant (on the left) and a Sweet Basil plant (on the right) I have always wanted to make the fancy icecubes with a mint leaf in them. :o)


I also went to an anniversary reception for my Aunt Thelma and these are some of my cousins. In the front: Amy, Chet, Beth, Me and Tracy. The men in back are Greg and Bobby. Bobby, Tracy and Greg are the children of my mothers twin sister so you can imagine how close we were growing up.

My brothers and I are the same ages as B,T & G and we would have such fun when we were little. We would play outside til the cows came home or until it was too dark to see. We played Charlies Angels alot. ( I can't remember who I wanted to be...probably Kate Jackson.) Chet and Amy lived next door to us so they always had someone to play with and since their mom worked full time it was good for us to be close, and when one of the sisters came to visit my mom they could just go next door and visit more with Aunt Sandra too. :o)

I have a lot of cousins. Don't talk about any body in this town til you check to see if I am related.

Hope y'all have a great Saturday. We are going to a dance recital now.


Friday, May 30, 2008

In lieu of a photo of CarlyJo

CarlyJo's favorite sandwich 6 inch turkey on Parmesan Oregano with lettuce, bell peppers, black olives, pickles and a tiny bit of Ranch from Subway.

I wish she would let me take her picture.

Dancing Darling

CassiJo's Dance Recital 2008

Ballet Beauty


Dancing to Material Girl (tap)

This is actually dress rehearsal. (It is held in Uncle Joe's old stomping grounds. The High School Auditorium. I think he spent many hours there in band. )

The sign behind the girls is supposed to say BRANSON. The theme is a "Branson Style Show" (Branson Missouri is a town that has tons of musical shows) I think CassiJo did very well and had a lot of fun. Tomorrow we will put her hair in an up-do and get her sparkley and shiney for her performance.

Decoration, Cowboys and Cousins

This is my Great Uncle John. He looks a lot like my grandfather, Pap. He is 90 years old and is one tough Indian!
My dad, Art is in the middle and to the left is his sister Joyce. They are surrounded by cousins. Notice these guys are REAL cowboys. The man on the lower left is SonnyBoy. I asked my mother and dad what his real name was and they didn't know...all they have ever called him is SonnyBoy. (his real name is Tom after his dad) See the cousin in the 10 gallon hat??
This an unseen pictur of my grandmother, Nan. I think she hated seeing pictures of herself. She always said "I look like a monkey!" I think she was beautiful. I have not seen many pictures of her as a young woman. She was old as long as I knew her! haha

I Am Seeing RED

I have been excited about my new dishes the Man of the House got me for Mothers Day. Aren't they beeeeyooooteeeeful??? They are Oneida Stoneware in Sahara Red. The kitchen is a work in progress and is decorated with lots of black and white, so this beauties fit in perfectly and give us "depth of color" as UJ told my mother. He knew what he was talking about because I absolutely love love love them. :o) The dinner you see here is what we had for Memorial Day. My parents brought more food to fill in the gaps.

Thank you very much for my pretty red dishes Joe, Cassidy and Carly!

Fifteen Minutes of Fame 48 Years Ago is Still Fame

I have wanted to have Uncle Joe's mother tell the story of his birth on our blogsfor a long time. While we were at her home last night for a party for UJ she agreed to tell the story........

Only the name of Uncle Joe has been changed to protect his innocence.
The other cast of characters are very real. (This part is written by UJ)
Mom/Betty: Joe's sainted mother.
Utah: Joes' dad.
Dolores: Betty's sister/ Joe's aunt.
Don: Dolores' husband.
Dr. Matthews: The Dr. who birthed over 8000 babies in the Muskogee community. I did a recent post on his death.

And so the story begins............

Joe was due June 16, 1960, but since I had been having what I suspected might be light contractions on May 26, Thursday, when Utah left for work at the Coke company on Friday, May 27, I decided I’d better go into Muskogee to be closer to a doctor (and the phone) in case they really were labor pains. So I spent the day at Dolores’s little house (no longer standing) on B street , right off Fondulac.

Sure enough, when Utah finished his Coke route about 2:30, I was having fairly regular pains. So we drove to a phone booth on East Side Boulevard and I called Dr. Matthews’ office. I explained to his receptionist Marie that I was having pains about 10 minutes apart and she told me it was way too early, and if I was standing up talking they obviously weren’t hard enough, so I should return to my sister’s and wait awhile; I was due to come in the following Monday for an X-ray (done in the 8th month with first pregnancies in those pre-Ultra sound days.) A few minutes before the office closed at 5, I called again, and explained that they were 5 minutes apart and getting a little stronger. Marie thought I should go on to the hospital and let them check me.

So back we went to Dolores’s, and I took a bath and changed clothes. I had forgotten to bring any shoes except a very worn pair of rubber thongs which looked pretty crummy. Don had small feet and had a new pair, so I put his new thongs on and away the four of us went to the hospital.

We got to Oklahoma Baptist Hospital about 6:00. Around 7, after some predictable stalling and delays, I was taken to a room and told to lie on a kind of gurney there and someone would come in and check me. The first nurse who came in took one look at me (I had gained 15 pounds) and said no way could I be ready to deliver; I was too small and the pains were obviously not bad enough. A few other hospital employees (I will call them nurses since I don’t know what their credentials were) and murmured agreement. I lay there about 30 minutes fretting because Dr. Matthews wasn’t there. The nurses assured me repeatedly that I couldn’t possibly be in labor, and even if I were, first babies took hours and hours, so there was plenty of time for him to get there.

Suddenly the pains became more intense, so much so that I indicated I thought I would do better if Utah left the room, so he joined Dolores and Don in the waiting room. Around the same time, Doctor Matthews arrived. Since it was Friday night, he had been at the stock car races, but decided he’d better come and take a look. He sat down beside the gurney. Another nurse came in and murmured “She’s hardly showing,” and he said, “No, and she’s not showing any signs of intense contractions either,” and had barely sat down when the amniotic sac ruptured. He jumped to his feet. Holy Cow!

Within seconds I was on my way to the delivery room: no enema (also done-pre delivery in those days); no shaving for prep; no time. As they wheeled me toward the delivery room, we could see Dolores, Don, and Utah standing behind double swinging doors looking through the windows. When Utah realized where they were taking me, he burst through the doors and ran alongside the gurney, leaning down to kiss me every step or two and running to keep up.The people could hardly push the gurney for laughing, and I was dimly aware that people were emerging from other rooms to watch also.

What a shock awaited me in the delivery room. First, they insisted I lie down on a hard table and put my feet in stirrups and they strapped or buckled me in. I spent considerable time telling them that I believed having a baby would be a lot easier if they would let me sit up, but they ignored me. Next, the contractions became really, really, painful, and constant.

I explained that the pains were too severe to be normal, and I felt sure I was going to die.“But I can’t believe God would let me die while I’m having a baby,” I said to Dr. Matthews. “Do you?”“No, of course not,” he said reassuringly.“Do you really believe that?” I said.“Yes, I do.”“Then say Amen,” I said.

There was full-fledged laughter from him and the only other person I was aware of in the room, a nurse.“Say it again,” I said.“Amen,” he said.The nurse laughed again.“Make her say it too,” I said.“Amen,” she choked, laughing. I made them each say it another time or two, and then the pain was very great indeed, and then they were telling me I had a baby boy.

Joe was born at 8:29 P.M. I felt jubilant that I had done a great thing. Utah , Dolores, and Don crowded around the bed, where I was enjoying a wonderful feeling from a wide, tight, warmed band they had fastened around my stomach. I kept trying to throw back the covers to show them I had a hole in my stomach, and asked people who came in the room if it was normal for me to have a hole in my stomach. I also wanted everyone to admire my feet, which looked very skinny to me.

Apparently I was wearing a short hospital gown and the warm band and nothing else, and Dolores and Utah kept trying to put the cover back on me.There was a storm that night. Between the wind blowing through an open window and banging the Venetian blinds, the woman in the next bed moaning, and visitors who tiptoed into the room, patted my foot, and smiled and left, I slept very little.

When a nurse came in to check the moaning woman in the next bed and me, I roused myself to ask crankily, “What’s wrong with her?”“She had a baby last night,” the nurse said. ”A little girl.”“Well, I had a baby too, and I’m not doing that,” I said. “But I had a little boy!”

The next morning a friend with whom I had worked at the drug store who worked as an aide on another floor came in.“Hi,Toni,” I said. “I had a baby boy last night!”“I KNOW you did,” she said. “Everyone in the hospital knows about it!”“Really? Why?”“Well, first people were telling us how funny it was to see Utah running alongside the gurney trying to kiss you, and then Dr. Matthews came up to the lounge and told us about the revival you led in the delivery room, so everyone wanted to see you!”

Joe's birth brought me my 15 minutes of fame

~written by Betty, Mother of Joe

Tuesday, May 27, 2008

Boobah Wishes

Happy Birthday to the cutest guy in the house.
Happy 48th Uncle Joe!
(can you believe what a baby face he has?)

Monday, May 26, 2008

Remember Those Who Have Sacrificed




My home town, Fort Gibson, Oklahoma is the home of one of the many National Cemeteries in the United States. I will admit I take it for granted, having seen it all my life.





Today I drove through it just to see my grandparents grave and was in awe at all the many many soldiers (and their spouses) who are buried there. It is a destination for many families in our area on this special day of rememberance.
A day to remember their loved one who gave their life during or may have died after service.

My grandfather, Pap (Tom) served in World War II and died in 1985. He and my Nan, are buried just in side the gate under a magnificent tree. I can see their grave from the road and sometimes on melancholy days I drive by to see it.


Thank you to all men and women who serve in our military currently and we respectfully remember all those who have gone on before them. You are true heros.




The entrance to our local National Cemetery in Fort Gibson OK. Established in 1893.


Saturday, May 24, 2008

Hold the Phone!!

Take a look at this story!! How wonderful....I wonder what God has in store for her now?

She might have super powers now and change her name to Super Granny :o)

Friday, May 23, 2008

It's a sign

On a sign we saw tonight:

Teens:

our punishment for enjoying sex



I love you more today than yesterday

'cause yesterday you really hacked me off






************************


We are also happy to report that both of the children have been promoted to the next grade. (8th and 3rd) *Whew!*


Now, let the stress.....er..I mean FUN begin!! Uncle Joe will be in charge of entertaining the girlies this summer while I am at work. CassiJo has been enrolled in Summer School where she will swim, play on computer, do arts and crafts and one academic subject every day for 4 weeks. She will also attend GirlScout Day Camp with Aunt AndiJo and AlliJo for one week. That should be major fun in the sun. We hope to keep her occupied much of the summer as CarlyJo will be busy with shaking her money maker.....a lawnmower.

She and my father will have a joint venture of mowing several yards this summer. She is really a good little mower I hear, and he doesn't brag much.

That should give her all the money she could possibly need to buy this or that. It is funny, now that she has her own money, it isn't quite so easy to part with it as easily as she is able to part with OURS. She hopes to save up and buy a new ipod and/or a digital camera of her very own. She feels good about earning the money and I sure do appreciate my dad for giving her the opportunity to do it. He and my mom do a lot for our kids and it sure is a blessing to us.


*************************************


In other news, Uncle Joe is preparing for his 30th High School Reunion. I am very excited to FINALLY see some of the people I have heard stories about over the last 16 years. This should be very interesting. He would not go to the 20th reunion(and I didn't know him at his 10th) and decided this year that he would relent and go. He is also on the agenda for entertainment. He and a fellow band member will be singing some old tunes like It's Only aPapermoon, Orange Colored Sky, My Funny Valentine and The Summerwind. I got to hear a sneak peak when the singer, Kerry, came over this week for a practice. She has a beautiful voice and I think it will be a lovely change from the usual songs you might hear at a HS reunion. (I think they should let CassiJo sing!)


It will be funny to see friends his age that are grand parents. He was a late blooming father since he was 34 when CarlyJo was born and turned 40 shortly after CassiJo was born. He has such a baby face and he doesn't look (or act) his age. People are surprised when I tell him how old he really is. Maybe having a young wife and young girls keeps him young.....insane for sure. :o) haha

Wednesday, May 21, 2008

Who's It Gonna Be??


David I or David II?
Elder David or Young David?
Rocker David or Ballad David?
What a decision!! I think the phone lines must have been jammed all evening with teens across the U.S. speed dialing and texting American Idol phone lines.
Stay tuned........

Saturday, May 17, 2008

Can You Kick It??




I came across a challenge on a msn home page this week and it got my noggin thinking. The article asked if we could kick the bottled water habit. There were some interesting facts and I would like to share them with you. (see below)

Bottled water is not my drink of choice and I don't buy a lot of it, but this still has gotten me thinking about all the waste we produce for the sake of convenience. We throw away a plastic bottle to save having to carry a reusable bottle. How lazy is that?? It is healthy for our body to consume all this water, but how healthy is it for our planet? And our pocket book?? Let's face it most bottled water is fancy shmancied tap water in a pretty bottle.

I was inspired by these facts and fetched my handy dandy Starbucks reusable water bottle sent to me by none other than Doozie. :o) thanks dooz!

exerpts from an article by Kelly Magill, publisher of Positively Green

In 2006, Americans spent $15 billion on bottled water and an estimated $16 billion in 2007. One can argue that it’s money down the drain. About 24 percent of bottled water is just filtered tap water such as Aquafina and Dasani. You can achieve exactly the same quality of water by installing a filter on your faucet at home. If the cost ($100 or less) of purchasing a filter for your home causes you to hesitate, consider this; you can buy a half-liter of bottled water for $1.35. If you filled this same bottle with filtered tap water once a day, it would take roughly 10 years before you spent that $1.35. However, if you purchased one bottle of water every day, after 10 years you will have spent $4,927.50.
**************************
It's me again. The $$ alone would cause me to carry a reusable bottle around!!
I read on the msn site that it takes more water to produce the finished bottled water product than the bottle holds. Now isn't that just smart??

I pledge to drink more good ole tap water and stop wasting my money on other people's tap water. What about you? What do you do??

Friday, May 16, 2008

Goodbyes and Dreams

when one of your favorite characters is killed-off on your favorite tv show. You see it coming.......yet can't look away.

**************************************
Last night I dreamed I was going to be crowned an Indian Princess. (I AM part Cherokee Indian. Only a little part, but still a part. )I wondered how I had gotten chosen. I didn't have a crown so I was going to use this intricate beaded necklace as a crown. I had to show my escort how to put it on me but I couldn't find him any where. I wandered around the campus (maybe of Bacone college? A local Indian College) looking for my unknown escort. I kept walking into private meetings, and secret rooms. I never found him and never had my coronation.

Wednesday, May 14, 2008

Welcome........


Welcome to our world sweet baby!
I have a new niece!
...born to my brother in law, Jory and his wife Noriko who live waaaaay over in Japan. We will be seeing the baby and her family some time this summer. I wait with bated breath. I want to hold her, kiss her feet and breathe the sweet baby smell of her head. :o)
I also plan on kissing her big brother Kai all over his little face when I see him.
I wonder what they will name her??
*Isn't her mother beautiful?!

Monday, May 12, 2008

Second Grade Idol


Uncle Joe has been working with Cassidy to learn a song, Summerwind. (Made famous by Frank Sinatra) He has been asking her to sing it for her class. She finally agreed and you can read about what happened over at Joe's place. I wish I could have been there. It makes me misty every time I hear that angel voice sing. I think it is waaaay cool that UJ has gotten both of our girls interested in music. When Carly was little he would take her to the "music room" (a finished detached garage at our old house) and he would play the electric piano and she would sing with the microphone and sing the funniest songs. She was so little....about 3 yrs old and would sing these serious songs and sing on key to what UJ was playing and made it up as they went! Cassi fills our house with songs all day every day, and this day she filled the classroom too.

Sunday, May 11, 2008

Mothers Day



Today was such a great day. I awoke briefly as Uncle Joe hopped out of bed very early and shut the door to our bedroom. I thought (and hoped) something was up. I stayed in bed like a good Mommy and waited.
Soon after I dozed off again I was awakened by my family serving me breakfast in bed! I have never had breakfast in bed so it was a real treat. I had scrambled eggs, toast with peach jam, mangoes and some small pieces of steak that UJ and the girls cooked up. It was great and I loved it! Now that they have set the precedent I look forward to next year! They also got me a very beautiful hanging basket with tiny purple flowers in it that will hang in our front yard. :o)
I have a surprise gift coming this week. I have no idea what it is but CassiJo does and I am thinking she will tell me soon. :o) She can't keep a secret.
Church was great too. Our neighbors had a great day: Two sons and a mom were baptized and their daughter dedicated. What a great gift to the mom and grandmother!
Dinner at Mom and Dad's was wonderful. Not necessarily the food (see previous post) but my father was so different. He sat next to my brother as usual. My brother (and formerly my dad) says something to the effect of "let's get this prayer over with quick I'm hungry". My dad's response was "Praying isn't a chore any more. It is a privilege" and he began the most beautiful prayer. He has always been able to verbalize his feelings well, but this just blew me away! He was praying this eloquent yet simple prayer that brought me (and every other adult female at the table) to tears. Something that struck me was " Thank you for mothers that were, mothers that are the mothers to be." I cannot tell you blog friends how much it thrills my soul to hear my father speak his heart and love his Saviour and not be ashamed. He has taken his God-given place as the leader of our extended family and I know he will be forever changed and I look forward to the changes in our family. My mother is still in a bit of shock over the transformation. (Not that my dad was ever terrible, but you know, when Jesus comes in and cleans house He throws out all the garbage and you get a REALLY clean house!)
We went to G-moms to love on her this afternoon and we got to visit with AndiJo and her daughters while we were there and we got to hear from JorySan from Japan. The baby is due in a week and if she doesn't arrive by 5-18 a c-section will be scheduled. We didn't even get a hint as to a name, but we call her S'Kai (sky) Jorysan and his family will be coming for a visit in July or August and we can't wait!
G-mom was feeling better after a terrible bout of sickness over the last month until she tried my cake then she got a bit of a tummy ache. :o( We had a fun visit, as usual, laughing at all UJ's antics. AndiJo wrote her mother two beautiful poems and a free-form type story. It was very beautiful and made me smile. She should really write more!
Happy Mothers Day to all my bloggie friends far and near. If you were here I would hug your neck and tell you I love you.

Liar Liar Pants on Fire!!

OK so UJ has been a budding "Foodie" for a long time now. He watches the FoodNetwork a lot and has now subscribed to a cooks magazine that I shall not name. In that magazine there are recipes that have been re-vamped by scientific type cooks.

I found a "Fluffy Yellow Cake" recipe in there and decided to give it a try for Mothers Day.

The instructions were not horribly complicated but they did involve three bowls of mixtures then a combination of said mixes, one of which was egg whites beaten to stiff peaks. I followed the directions very closely the second time. The first ending in a pile of mush that I had to pitch in the trash. (Boy was I mad as some the ingredients were special purchases and I generally hate to see things to to waste.)

I licked the spatula after I poured the batter in the pan. Hmmm that tasted very salty. I reviewed the recipe to verify that I followed the measurements to the "T". No obvious mistakes. I thought it may be the buttermilk in the recipe that made it taste different so I went ahead and baked it.

I pulled the beautifully baked cake out of the oven and cut a small corner off to test it. It was H-O-R-R-I-B-L-E!! I couldn't believe it! I called UJ into the room to taste it too and he agreed: TOO SALTY. (even though it only called for 3/4 t. and I didn't even have that much so it was less than that)

I hoped that the "Fool Proof Frosting" on the next page of the magazine would be sweet enough to lessen the salty taste. They were right, the frosting was foolproof, but not enough to help the doomed salty cake.

I tried to pass the cake off as good at Mom's and everyone ate it, but they all commented on the saltiness and advised not to make it again. The only person that really liked it was my niece ElleJo who loves salty food. I gave her three big pieces to take home. :o)

Next time I am trusting a real Mom-tested, family approved recipe and not something from a test kitchen full of scientists. They lie.

Saturday, May 10, 2008

Happy Boobah Kai!

Our nephew Kai turns one!!
Happy Birthday SweetieKai

Don't Be Jealous


We are going to see Iron Man today. :o) We love comic book Super Hero movies!



We will have a full review when we get back!

PM update: Fabulous! Hot! Great movie! RDJ has done some of his best work as Tony Stark/Ironman and Gwenyth is a lovely Pepper Potts . We took CassiJo and had to hide her eyes a few times...good thing she sat by UJ who has Bat-reflexes and could hide her peepers in a flash.

If you go stay for ALL the credits for a nice little surprise.

We had a fun day and are now settling in for a post-movie/shopping rest.

Mothers Day shopping (check)

Ingredients for the bestest fluffiest yellow cake ever (check)

Ingredients for the bestest chocolate icing (check)

Cool black mixer (check)

Hot hubby to cook with (check)

Beater-lickers (check)

OK now I better get to work on that cake.

Wednesday, May 07, 2008

Letter from CarlyJo


Dear Mom and Dad,


I am leaving forever. Megan and I are creating a band so we can meet our one true loves. I took dad's cell, but don't bother calling. the flight we're going to take doesn't allow cellular devices, so please pray that all goes well.


*heart* your eldest daughter and her friend,


CarlyJo and Megan


****************************************************************


their one true loves are The Jonas Brothers and their plan is to make a band so they can get to know them and marry them. Good plan huh?


We will be going to see the JB in July. I think we are down to about 68 days or so. woohooo!!

Sunday, May 04, 2008

Heaven is Rejoicing Today



There are not words to convey my happiness today.

Today my father gave his heart to Jesus and got saved.

God really does answer prayer in His time.

Thanks God.

Saturday, May 03, 2008

The Best Meal He's Ever Cooked

Wednesday night I came home from work late and Uncle Joe had dinner ready and waiting on me. It was fabulous and I was famished. He made:

Stuffed Poblano Peppers (stuffed with meat and veggies)
Homemade pico
Homemade salsa
Soft and hard taco's

I know he and the girls worked very hard cooking all that for us. They had a good time and some bonding with Daddy. I appreciate it so much when UJ cooks supper (and he even cleans up!) Now I know why my dad loved it when my mom had supper waiting on him.....it just makes you feel good knowing someone has been planning and working for the time you come home.

Thursday, May 01, 2008

Happy to be Home

My little chunky munky was glad for her mother to be home.
I don't know where CarlyJo was when we took this picture. Probably on the phone catching up with her friends:o) You know how girls are, they have to report everything to each other.....several times a day.