Just So You Know

Happy Holidays

2011-12-25T08:40:00.001-06:00

We are alive, well and enjoying the holidays. It's been crazy as always with school, work, birthdays......life.

We opened presents with Brent's family the first half of the Christmas weekend. I've had this quilt top for years. Brent's great grandmother hand pieced it. His mom gave it to us years ago. I've always wanted to have it finished but didn't know anybody, so I pulled it out a couple months ago when Darlene was talking about having a lady quilt stuff for her. Darlene added a border to finish it up and had it quilted for us. I love it.

This is Brent's grandma Roath and she made this quilt and gave it to us for Christmas. It's beautiful. She made quilts for all of her grandchildren, 5, and then 2 more for her girls. She's been a busy girl. She's starting on great grandchildren for next year. That would be 11. Oy!

This picture is just for Bryan. He will understand :)

Meme making cookies with the girls.

After lunch Saturday, we came back home so we could have Christmas with my side of the family.

Papa with all of his grandkids.

After Christmas there, we came back and let the kids open presents from us. Those pictures are on the big camera and I'll post them later. Hopefully it won't be 2 months.

So today we are hanging out until we go to my sister's for lunch.

Until next time ~ Stacy

Blast From The Past

2011-11-07T15:52:00.001-06:00

Hannah went to her first middle school dance Saturday. She dressed up as her PaPa (aka Coach Ward) circa 1963. Fun!

Until next time ~ Stacy

We Were Shaking

2011-11-06T06:58:00.001-06:00

I was sitting at a slot machine and my chair, machine started swaying. I thought I had hit a jackpot. But no, just a 5.6 earthquake that hit Sparks, OK (about 2 hours away). Oklahoma has a new record and now I will be able to tell stories to my grandchildren :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Whismical Wreath ~ Fall

2011-10-26T09:38:00.006-05:00

Same wreath but better pictures of the wreath I made because I'm trying to win a contest this week on The CSI Project website. This is still my favorite new thing I did this year for Fall.

Have you made a fall wreath? Click the button below and join in on the fun.

Whimsical Wreath ~ Fall

2011-10-10T17:16:00.001-05:00

Last weekend me, my sister Shelly & my mom-in-law Darlene went to Canton, Texas for trade days. We met my niece Shae & her friend there which was so cool. Love having her close so we can do stuff. Anywho, we stopped at the Paul Michael Company first. Love love love this store. Brent better be glad that it's 3 hours away :) It's a home decor store. The big demo project was whimsical wreaths. OMG! Too cute. We bought the wreath & mesh with plans on hitting Hobby Lobby when they put ribbon, etc on sale. I wanted a fall wreath.

I finished it today & I'm obsessed. There is so many possibilities. I'm ready to make a Christmas wreath now. And Hobby Lobby has the mesh.

If you are like me & had never heard of or seen whimsical wreaths, there is videos on you tube. The first one that came up was a video made for Paul Michael Company. She demonstrated a Easter wreath but you get the idea.

If I can do this, you can do this. I promise :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

The Dog

2011-09-28T10:17:00.001-05:00

Harley the dog likes her naps. Lately she has been napping with my nephew Ben in the afternoons. And she will snuggle with anybody who is willing. Here she's snuggling up to Hannah. Now I'm sleepy :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Fun Weekend

2011-09-27T14:33:00.001-05:00

Our niece, Shae, came up from college Friday night after a test. The kids had no idea she was coming in for the weekend. I {heart} surprises.

The kids had a cross country meet Saturday morning. Glad she was here to see them run.

The kids ran great. Every Madill team placed 1st!

Brent had to stay and do results so the girls and I headed to a family reunion on my mom-in-law's side. It was a quick trip there and back because wanted to get back for the OU game (boomer sooner).

Shae goes to UTA which is just 2 hours away so we decided to go down to Fort Worth to eat and let her follow us back down. I've been wanting to go eat Mexican food so it gave us a good excuse .

I did take more pictures during our weekend but it was with other cameras :)

We love having her so close and we will be visiting again next weekend because we are going to a huge flea market in Canton, Texas so she and her roommate are going to meet us there. And then about 2 weeks after that the kids are running at Hurst, Texas so we she will get to see them run again and we are going to go see her apartment and walk around her campus. Note to self, take more pictures with my camera.

Until next time ~ Stacy

Do you believe in ghost?

2011-09-15T19:22:00.001-05:00

My sister was sent this picture that was taken in the ER at Integris Hospital in Grove, OK. Can you see anything spooky? It gave me chills when I first saw the picture. It looks like a nurse that has an old long hat on and it look like it has wings. It could have been photoshopped but either way, still pretty chilling. Makes me ready for Halloween.

Until next time ~ Stacy

Cookie Bouquet

2011-09-10T22:13:00.001-05:00

Not sure how the idea of cookie bouquets came up between me and my sister but it did. I made some to sell at the Relay For Life dance my sister put on tonight. They turned out really cute. This was the first time doing them so some cookies turned out better than others. The trick is not to roll out the dough to thin and to keep the dough cold, it makes it easier to handle. I used a new recipe for both the sugar cookies and icing. When I make cut out sugar cookies I usually use my Mom's recipe. I think the new one was easier to roll out, it wasn't as sticky (sorry Mom). The icing was butter and shortening with powder sugar. The jury is still out on the icing. Next time I do it I'll probably use my standard buttercream icing.

My sister thinks I need to start selling the bouquets. I would like to but not sure they will pay the price I would want. It took me some time to make those suckers :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Oh yeah, she won!

2011-09-10T07:40:00.001-05:00

She won! We are living with the 6th grade representative student council member. They already had 2 meetings and a 3rd meeting scheduled for Monday. Next week is homecoming week so they get to decorate a float. She's excited!

Until next time ~ Stacy

Shelly Hamilton RN, BSN

2011-09-05T21:00:00.001-05:00

My sister got her bachelor's degree in nursing. She's had her 2 year RN degree for years but has been taking classes when she could for her BSN. Today we celebrated Labor Day & had a little surprise congrats party.

Congratulations Shelly! We are very proud of you :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Winner

2011-09-04T10:31:00.001-05:00

Thanks Kathy for commenting for a chance to win My Memories Suite software. And guess what? You won!!! Yea!!!!! I'll be contacting the company to get your code.

Until next time ~ Stacy

Boomer Sooner Already?

2011-09-03T06:37:00.003-05:00

My husband is at his parents' house right now, we are joining him later after the kids get back from cross country, & I'm sure he will be waking up with a huge grin on his face. His precious little Sooners play tonight at 7:00 & our world will be football until January.

Oh yeah, BOOMER SOONER!!!!!

Running Once Again

2011-08-31T07:56:00.001-05:00

The kids' first official cross country meet was this past Saturday.

She looks thrilled right?

At least he kind of smiled?

They both did a real good job!

Still having my giveaway if you're interested. There is only 1 comment so you have a good chance to win :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Stu Co

2011-08-30T07:42:00.002-05:00

Hannah decided to run for student council this year. Things have changed since my day. Only 8th grade students can run for president & then anybody can run for VP, secretary, or treasure. Each grade elects a boy/girl representative. She decided to run for representative.

I was catching up on Facebook late Sunday night & read that campaign week was this week. Well crap. At least the poster boards were bought.

So yesterday was a poster making frenzy. Sweat was dripping. Wheels in my brain were spinning. Frenzy. I wanted to get them done for Hannah to hang them after school. And of course she would have helped but we didn't have time :)

We were going to take a current picture of Hannah but again, no time. I dug one out of pictures waiting to be scrapbooked. It worked out just fine.

Found this idea on the Internet. The "dots" are rhinestones. This one is my favorite.

She had to write an essay which will be graded & she gets a certain number of votes based on how well it was written. She also gives a speech on Thursday getting more votes if criteria is met. Then students vote on Friday.

We are going to make up something for her to pass out Friday morning. I thought about getting smarties, taping them on something & put "be a smartie! Vote for Hannah.......". My sister in law suggested getting mints & say "be a mint. Vote for Hannah.......".

Wish her luck. I know she will appreciate it. I'll keep you posted :)

In other news, I'm hosting a giveaway for digital scrapbook software. Check out the post below for more details.

Until next time ~ Stacy

MyMemories Suite v2 Review+Giveaway

2011-08-29T08:00:00.010-05:00

Summer is coming to a close and kids are going back to school. What are you going to do with all of those summer pictures still on your camera card or computer? Have you been wanting to learn more about digital scrapbooking but don't know where to start? Read on :)

Liz from My Memories asked if I wanted to host a giveaway and give a review for MyMemories Suite v2 software. Well heck yeah!

I've dabbled in digital scrapbooking here and there using PSE but it can be a little intimidating and it's pricey. What I liked about MyMemories Suite v2 software is that it comes with templates and ready made pages. You can also custom make your album but I really like templates, it makes my life easier and sometimes I just want to click, drag and drop a photo in a spot that is already there for me.

I made this page by using a photo template. I chose my background paper, text, ect. For the black mat I used the shape option for a square, sized it and filled in my color.

What I liked:

1. Again, love the templates.
2. I'm able to use my digital stash I've downloaded. 95% of my stash is things I've downloaded for free.
3. Hellloooo, spell check!
4. MyMemories website has video tutorials to guide you through software and tips. The video below is very helpful and will let you know exactly what this software is all about. (To see video better just click on "Welcome to the Family! link below video.)

Welcome to the Family! from Lisa Jurrens on Vimeo.

What was so so:

1. Some of the colors isn't my style but that's my personal taste.
2. I wish my last font choice would stay chosen if I'm adding another area of text.

So now all of the official business is taken care of here is the fun stuff. MyMemories is giving away MyMemories Suite v2 software to one of my blog readers. All you have to do is go to http://www.mymemories.com/, choose your favorite digital pack or layout, and comment on this blog post telling me what's your fave. Want extra chances to win? Follow their blog for a chance, follow them on twitter for a chance or like them on Facebook for a chance. Just come back and let me know what you did on this blog post.

But wait. There's more!!!! I have a coupon cooooooode. (Imagine Oprah Winfrey saying it.) If you aren't the lucky winner but would still like to purchase the MyMemories Suite v2 software, then just use the promo code STMMMS88011 when you checkout for a $10 discount. Use that same code for $10 off for items purchased in the MyMemories.com store. That's a $20 savings. Woo hoo!!!! Feel free to pass on the code to your friends.

I will randomly pick a winner on Sunday, September 4th so be sure to check back to see if you are the lucky person.

Middle School World

2011-08-16T15:44:00.001-05:00

Hannah had open house last night at the middle school. It was like herding cats trying to get lockers found and going to each classroom.

She has her bags packed and ready to go along with some butterflies.

She will love it :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Hannah gets my phone

2011-08-14T10:48:00.001-05:00

and I'll have random pictures of her or her and somebody else.

Most of the time it's when we are in the car and she is bored.

Playing with CamWow with her friend.

I might have taken this one though :) just wanted to share.

Until next time ~ Stacy

Sweet Rain

2011-08-12T07:07:00.001-05:00

Finally a good ole thunderstorm rolled in Thursday bringing much needed rain & cooler temps. At one time it was 72 degrees. Bliss!!!!

It was perfect napping weather :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

In The Cockpit

2011-08-10T21:51:00.001-05:00

Brent left for his trip this afternoon. He has flown on his company's plane quite a bit through out the years. He's a big boy so he has to ride shotgun. This makes me nervous. He sent me these pictures tonight.

You can't see his face but what a pretty view. Still makes me nervous though.

I want that color of blue for my craft room. Don't have one yet but when I do that's the color.

There he is. I would have to be on a Valium drip if I had to sit in the cockpit.

So safe travels Brently. We'll see you Friday.

Until next time ~ Stacy

More Random Pictures

2011-08-08T17:02:00.001-05:00

I'm liking using blogpress. I would definitely recommend this app.

Thought I would share more pictures that have been on my phone. I noticed the pics I edited in instagram are bigger so that's why the different sizes.

When we were in Seabrook I showed my brother in law, niece and nephew geocaching. There were several caches hidden in their neighborhood.

Zack found the first one, well after he destroyed a inground sprinkler unit :). He fixed it though. I laughed so hard.

We found another cache by the tennis courts pretty close to their house. Brandice is holding the cache. It was a itty bitty magnet on a light pole.

This is one of the ways I can get pictures of Colton. We were on our way home. He. Was. Out.

Still have more to share but I'm sharing a little bit at a time because it gives me more posting abilities during a slow time :)

Until next time ~ Stacy

Random (testing blogpress)

2011-08-08T12:26:00.001-05:00

I finally uploaded blogpress for my iPhone so I wanted to test it out. Hopefully this will work because it will be great to be able to update from my phone. So now, random pictures :)

Pictures from Shae's graduation:

Hannah

Zack looking very dapper.

Brandice and Martha, so pretty.

Becky and Brent (and Larry behind Becky's head).

MeMe and PaPa

Colton was there but he is a butt about me taking pictures of him.

Our great nephew Aiden's birthday party:

A yo gabba gabba party. That cake was a group effort and turned out really cute.

Aiden playing in the balls. His favorite thing was to throw the balls out :)

I have more pictures but I'll save them for another post.

So a little review of blogpress. Uploading pictures is the only thing I did (no linking, bolding words etc) and it was really fast. My thumbs hurt from typing from the little keyboard but that's okay. I think this app will come in handy. Now to hit the post button and hope everything shows up where it's suppose to be so wish me luck :)

Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Chicago

2011-08-06T08:54:00.009-05:00

Brent is going to Chicago next week, booooo! I'm trying to figure out how I can sneak on the company plane :)

He had a business trip to Chicago back in the Spring of 2004. It was 1 meeting, a fly in fly out type of meeting but we decided to make a weekend out of it & I got to tag along. We flew in on a Saturday, had all day Sunday to do as much as we could, Brent's meeting Monday morning & then flew out that afternoon. Fast, yes, but so much fun.

Wish I had taken a picture of us going through the process of taking the train in, the hotel was in downtown Chicago, from the airport. We had no idea what we were doing but some how we ended up exactly where we needed to be :)

The ESPN Zone. We just went in and looked around. I think it's closed down now.

Walked around Navy Pier.

We both thought this statue was a real man fishing. From a distance it looked real :)

Dashed in & out of museums. Andy Warhol's Mao was displayed at the Art Museum. Very cool.

Soldier Field. Just a drive by.

There was a Greek restaurant next to our hotel so we thought why not. Try something new. People were ordering some kind of flaming cheese stuff so we thought we would partake. The waiters brought it out flaming & when they put it out they yelled OPA!!! very loudly. Fun! Neither one of us liked the cheese, but the our dinner was oh so yummy.

Our quick Chicago trip was one of our favorite trips we have taken together. I want to go back when there is more time to really enjoy the city without being rushed.

We Are Melting

2011-08-04T12:50:00.005-05:00

I'm so over this hot, dry Oklahoma weather. It was 114 yesterday. 114. The swimming pool isn't even refreshing, it's like a giant bath tub of warm water. Come on September. My Mom always said September always sounded cooler to her, ber = brrrrrrr.

The kids have started cross country. They are running twice a day now. I hate it for them. They start back to school on the 17th. Not sure if they are ready but Momma is :)

I forgot about me wanting to post pictures I have of the kids when they were younger. Looked through them again this morning so I'm going to be sharing more of them.

The kids' cousins were at my house for some reason. Can't remember, it was 2004 :)

Anna looks scared to death & Hannah looks like she is plotting something evil.

I laughed when I saw this picture of Colton playing his video game. I guess we should've stepped in back then.

I can't believe how young they look. Times does fly by quickly.

Chrispea

2011-07-19T10:27:00.002-05:00

A few years ago I started following a scrapbook message board & got to meet some amazing women. I know it sounds crazy, but I consider them my friends. I refer to them as my "scrapbooking friends" if I talk about them to Brent.

This particular MB was having some problems so I started going to a different MB that a lady started as an outlet for her online store. There wasn't as many members, which I liked, & that is where I stayed to share my love for scrapbooking.

So when you start on the MBs, you also get involved with people's blogs, family, etc. Though most of us haven't met in real life, we just have this connection.

One lady I felt close with was Chris (Chrispea was her MB id). She has kids the same age of my kids, we got married around the same time...... And girlfriend had mad scrapbooking skills. About 2 years ago she found out she had breast cancer. She always stayed positive & knew she was going to beat it, & she did. But about a month ago the cancer showed up in her brain. Even with this diagnosis, she was positive she was going to be okay.

I got on facebook Sunday morning & found out she lost her battle. I was just sick. All I could think about was her kids & her husband. Heartbreaking.

I'm glad I got to know her, even if it was thru the computer.

Cancer sucks!!!

Rainless Rainbow

2011-07-18T10:04:00.005-05:00

One evening last week, little rain clouds were popping up all around us. Brent yelled for me to come outside to see the rainbow. I could smell the rain, it was so close, but we must have had a invisible rain shield around us because we didn't get a single drop.

So our heatwave continues. We have already broken the record for however many straight days with the temperature at least 100. We. Are. Melting.

So we have been enjoying this

& staying in the house. Even the dog is panting when she goes out to potty. I'm so ready for fall!!!

Father's Day

2011-07-06T09:00:00.000-05:00

Better late than never right? We had a shrimp boil for Father's Day. Brent's family got to come down along with my Dad, his friend Mary Alice, Shelly & her family.

Brent & his brother Bryan playing some racing game on the iPad. Bryan is growing his hair out to play Jesus at church this Fall.

Aunt Becky & Ally getting their tan on.

Hannah & Abby.

The Henrys!

Again, that's all of the pictures I got. Oh well! I was to busy playing hostess & enjoying having everybody together to worry about pictures :)

Hay

2011-07-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago we had our north pasture cut down for hay. It saves Brent from having to brush-hog which saves him a ton of money not having to buy diesel. The guy who does it keeps the hay. The pasture always looks so pretty after it gets cut.

Still Here

2011-07-04T09:17:00.006-05:00

We are slowly melting away here at home. It's been hot, humid, & dry with no relief in sight. We had our family cookout yesterdy because people have to get up & go to work in the morning. We are under a burn ban so we didn't get to do fireworks. So we just ate & hung out in the pool. My Uncle Brad and cousin Karen came over too.

Ben would live in the water.

Luke usually gets whiney about getting in but enjoys it once he gets in the water.

Shelly showing off her hula hoop skills.

My Uncle Brad (my Dad's older brother). He is the one who made us our picnic table & I finally got a picture of him with the table. He's in his late 80s. He fell about 2 months ago breaking his hip. He is getting around really good.

That's all of the pictures I got. I got busy with dinner etc....., seems like I always do that. At least I got some :)

Softball 2011

2011-06-21T08:34:00.008-05:00

Softball came to an end Thursday. This season just lasted forever to me.

She played 2nd base

and catcher this year.

I took pictures of the girls this season for a DVD slideshow to give to them Monday at their pool party. I think it turned out really cute. I just need to burn them and come up with design for the cover. At least I have the whole week :)

We're Still Alive

2011-06-17T09:08:00.009-05:00

My blog has been MIA. I tell myself I will do better updating but....... We have been busy with softball, a quick trip South, getting ready for a reunion, did I mention softball? Hannah's last game was last night (thank you). It seems like they have been playing forever.

A few weeks ago we headed down to Seabrook, Texas for our niece's graduation from high school. And we so happened to still be there to help celebrate our great nephew's 1st birthday, yea!!!

Shae. I can't believe she is done with high school. Becky, my sister in law, was pregnant with her when Brent & I got married.

Becky flocked the yard to surprise Shae. She rented the signs & then you deck out your yard. She has signs for all occasions. Cool idea.

The personalized sign she gets to keep.

Cousins.

She is going to the University of Texas, Arlington on a track scholarship. She'll be only 2 hours away from us so we will be able to see her run, yea!!!

The birthday boy, Aiden, with BeBe.

Hannah enjoying the pool.

So I guess I've procrasinated long enough. I have 50+ family members coming to my house tomorrow & this isn't getting my house cleaned :)

The Deck

2011-05-29T11:15:00.019-05:00

We finally got started getting a deck around the pool. Yea!!!

(Picture heavy. You've been warned)

Before the work began.

The building.

And all done.

We love our deck. Chris, hi Chris, did a fantastic job. It's so much easier to clean the pool and just to get in and out. It's also nice just to sit and dangle legs in too.

Miss Smarty Pants

2011-05-24T14:00:00.004-05:00

May 20th was Hannah's last day of school. They had their awards assembly in the morning so me, Colton and Ben headed in to watch. I'm so glad we did. She got top 10% in math, accelerated math, language arts and reading. She also made the all A's honor roll for the entire year.

After lunch, the kids went back to their homeroom and had a little party and more awards.

I can't believe school is already out. Unreal. And more unreal, Colton is now a junior and Hannah a 6th grader and will be at the middle school. Oy!!!

End of School 50s Blowout

2011-05-21T11:51:00.011-05:00

Last Friday was the 5th grade end of school party. It was so much fun, minus Mom drama, to get this together. Just a few of us started decorating that morning because we knew there was no way we could start at 3:00 and get it done, plus get our girls ready, by 7:00. Thank goodness we did.

We blew up thousands, maybe not thousands but it felt like it, of balloons. I cut out circles on my cricut to make records to hang on the end of the ribbons. It was so cute when we left for a lunch break but when we got back, the records were pulling down the balloons so we ripped them off and just used them for other areas. The balloons still looked cute though. We tied balloons bunches on some cemeted cans they had at the gym to make a outline for the dance area. Then we lined the floor with white lights. So cute.

The "jukebox".

The food/drink tables. The food Mom's did such a great job on the tables. They served coke floats, rice crispie treats, pink lemonade and more.

One area of the gym was used for games. I loved the fortune teller. They also had pin the tail on the donkey, cupcake walk, potato sack races, hula hoops, limbo, face painting and I know there was more but can't remember. It was awesome.

Danny and Sandy showed up.

Sidenote: Part of the Mom drama was that some of us called this party a dance. They have called it a dance since they started doing this for the 5th grade. Whatever. But they had no problem having "Grease" plastered on the side of the wall. I love Grease but what had me scratching my head was that we couldn't call it a dance but no one seemed to mind that Rizzo thought she was pregnant after having premarital sex. Uhhhh ok!

Dad let us borrow his truck for pictures with the kids. The truck was a huge hit.

MeMe made Hannah's poodle skirt for her. It was so stinkin' cute.

Hannah and her buddy Bailey.

PaPa drove them to the gym.

I think the kids had a blast. It was totally worth all of the drama :)

The Pond

2011-05-08T08:02:00.005-05:00

It's that time of the year again and time to start feeding our fish.

It's a frenzy I tell you!

They will eat bread out of your hand.

P.S. Happy Mother's Day if you are a Momma. My day will consist of laundry and doing dishes because my dishwasher is out. Again!!!! Good times.

Here She Comes

2011-05-04T11:15:00.006-05:00

She is enjoying riding her bike.

Which makes us nervous because we have

hanging around. (This rattlesnake was on our backporch a few years ago. We haven't seen any this big, knock on wood, since then but we always yell "watch for snakes" when the kids are outside.)

She is ready for school to be out. No longer will she be in elementary. On to middle school and a whole new adventure.

Spades Anyone?

2011-04-15T11:00:00.000-05:00

Brent and I was teaching the kids how to play spades one morning. Harley thought she would learn too. You know. Just in case someone couldn't play :)

Battle Scar

2011-04-14T10:55:00.003-05:00

Isn't it pretty? I've realized this week how often I use that part of my arm to hold open doors etc. It still hurts to bend my arm but it's getting better.

Out and About

2011-04-12T10:17:00.004-05:00

Pictures of Hannah and the boys out geocaching about 3 weeks ago. I forgot they were on my phone. This cache was located by a creek bed. It was so pretty even with things not being green yet. The cache we found had hot wheels in it for the boys to trade. Hannah traded a pocket knife. Everytime I looked up she had that thing opened up. I can't believe we actually made it through the day without a trip to the ER for a cut.

I think we found all but 2 caches that day. I have since gone back to 1 place and did find it. I get frustrated when we don't find one especially when it was found the day before by someone else. I need to go with someone with more experience I guess. Wish gas wasn't so dang high right now. The weather is perfect right now to be going.

Why a 41 y/o out of shape Mom of 2 shouldn't play softball

2011-04-11T10:18:00.002-05:00

Last week when I told the coach to Hannah's softball team I would play on the parents' team in a scrimmage against the girls I guess I thought I was young, skinny and in shape. NOT!

My first time up to bat I got hit by a pitch. By a 10 year old girl. Who can pitch. Fast. With zip. I blew it off joking around and took my base. But I wanted to roll on the ground and cry. Oh mmmmm geeeee it hurt. My left arm was numb. It left stitch marks.

As I was standing on base I thought how in the hell am I going to finish playing this game. Next time at bat I was a little gun shine. Some how I pulled my groin jumping out of the way of a crazy pitch. Oy vey!

I survived. Barely. I even have a bruise in the palm of my hand from playing catch.

I have a new respect for these girls who play ball. I will never again say "get up, your okay" to Hannah if/when she gets hit by a ball.

My arm still hurts but the feeling is coming back. Slowly :)

Thunder Up (through the eyes of an 11 year old)

2011-03-28T09:26:00.008-05:00

Brent was given tickets to the OKC Thunder's game for last night. So Brent, the kids and my dad headed up yesterday afternoon. Hannah was so excited. She doesn't really follow basketball but she likes to go. Anywhere. Especially if that somewhere has a concession stand.

Brent said they no longer got sat down and the kids were off on a food search. And they had already ate before getting to the game. Hannah's mission was cotton candy. Colton wanted a funnel cake but couldn't find one so ended up with a pretzel.

Hannah handed over the camera for those 2 shots.

I'm guessing this is a tshirt that was dropped and was floating by. So close yet so far away.

They ended up leaving at the end of the 3rd quarter. My dad wanted to beat the crowd. I don't think Hannah was to happy about leaving but they ended up getting home earlier.

The Thunder ended up beating the Trailblazers after a pretty exciting last few minutes.

I knew Hannah had a blast. I asked Colton how he liked it and he said the music and the cheerleaders were hot. I'm not sure if he even watched the game :)

We Cached

2011-03-22T09:06:00.005-05:00

I've heard of geocaching before but never really knew what it was all about. A friend told me some details and said her family had a blast going so I went to geocaching.com for more information. There is a free app for the iphone that is an intro so I downloaded that one just to practice with before I bought the app that let you do more. It's 10 bucks which I don't think is to bad since I can use it over and over. I'm planning on buying it because Ben and I went this morning and had a ball.

There are caches just miles from our house. The first place we went was easy to get to but we couldn't find the cache. I've since talked to my friend and she told me it was there and gave me a hint so I'll go back later since I was so close. There was another one hidden on our way back home so we went searching and found it. Yea!!! Ben had so much fun. We didn't take a prize because we didn't have anything to replace it with but I'm planning on going to the dollar store so I will be prepared next time.

We can't wait to go again.

Trip to Lake Texoma

2011-03-20T20:17:00.007-05:00

Can't believe spring break is already over. We are going to be on summer break before we know it. Yikes!

Hannah and I went to the lake with my sister and her family. We live really close to the lake but hardly ever go. That's Texas in the above picture.

It was so windy today but it didn't slow down the kids any.

We're ready, wait let me rephrase that, I'm ready for school tomorrow. Hannah will probably have a black eye in the morning. She tripped over her own feet and hit her eye on her bed. She has a little cut and it's pretty swollen. Only my daughter :)

A Real Man

2011-03-16T22:28:00.002-05:00

will let his daughter paint his toenails blue.

Spring? Maybe.

2011-03-02T18:40:00.002-06:00

Our Bradford Pears are blooming. They always seem to start budding out late February and usually it turns super cold again before Spring thus making brown blooms that aren't pretty anymore. Fingers crossed for no more cold spells.

He's Legal

2011-02-17T16:15:00.003-06:00

Colton finally got to take his driving test today and passed. And this makes me feel really really really old.

What A Difference A Week Makes

2011-02-16T09:02:00.003-06:00

Last week it was snowing and we were setting record lows. This week?

Crazy Oklahoma weather.

This Is Steve

2011-02-15T10:47:00.000-06:00

This is Hannah's fish, Steve. I have no idea how she came up with Steve but, I think it's cute.

I get to take care of Steve when Hannah is gone overnight. It's okay though. He's quite :)

Happy Valentine's Day

2011-02-14T10:35:00.004-06:00

I spent most of the weekend getting treats ready for family/friends to give away today. I made cut out sugar cookies and iced them (my Mom's recipe). I made strawberry cake balls. I dipped them with white almond bark because my Wal Mart doesn't have candy melts. And I added red food coloring gel to some of the leftover melted bark. IT DON'T WORK. It looked more like icing. I'm thinking I've tried this before and just forgot it doesn't work. (Note to self. Quit adding food coloring gel to almond bark.) I also made peanut butter blossoms. Lawsy sakes alive those suckers are good.

I'm working tonight so Brent and I went out last night for dinner. We wanted to eat at our favorite Hibachi/sushi place but of course it was closed. We ended up at Chili's. Romantic huh? I didn't have to cook so good enough for me.

I hope you have a special day with your sweeties.

Oklahoma Blizzard 2011 Take 2

2011-02-08T19:25:00.003-06:00

We are getting ready for the second big snow storm of the year. See Ardmore? Our town is in the county that "ore" is on.

We are still thawing out from last week's blizzard. I made it to the store early Monday morning to restock the fridge and the pantry. The stores in town, we have only 2, were stripped bare on Saturday but looked pretty good when I went. Wal Mart was still out of some things so I hit Homeland and was able to finish up. So we have the essentials plus some non-essentials that just makes being stranded in the house a couple of days more pleasant. Now watch it do nothing :)

Very Proud

2011-02-03T20:47:00.001-06:00

Our niece signed yesterday to run track for the University of Texas ~ Arlington. We are so very proud of her. She will be only a couple of hours away from us so we are looking forward to get to see her compete on a college level. How cool is that?

Oklahoma Blizzard 2011 and the town shuts down

2011-02-02T18:59:00.011-06:00

It doesn't look that bad but underneath the snow is a bunch of ice. It started coming in late Monday starting with rain, then freezing rain, then sleet and then snow. And yes, it was a blizzard. School was canceled early in the evening on Monday and we have been closed since. I don't see us going on Friday either because temperatures aren't supppose to be above freezing. The news from the street, and by the street I mean Facebook, is that several businesses were even closed. So we have been enjoying this

a lot. And she

is really bored. And he

has been hanging out with us. And he

would be happy if we never had school again. (He was NOT cooking during this picture. He only wanted to act like he was cooking.) And she

doesn't know how close she came to being an outside dog on Tuesday. And he

doesn't seem bothered about any of this mess. And I

have been in my jammies since I got home from work Monday night.

Connections and it is really a small world after all.

2011-01-26T17:00:00.002-06:00

I was thinking about all of the connections I, our little town/county has with some well known people. Marshall County, the county I live in, is the smallest county in Oklahoma. The entire county has 5 stoplights. Just 5. And we went up to five from two just in the past few years. It's small y'all.

Anyway, I told you about the Paul Ryan connection but we have more.

A girl who grew up in Madill but later moved to a town about 30 miles away is married to one of the creators of Jackass and he directed the Jackass movies. She has a fun blog to read. This week she is writing about how she met her husband, their love story. I graduated with her older sister. We were drum majors together our Junior and Senior years in High School and we also ran around together. There was a group of us.

In that same group of girls was another friend, Nicki. We cheered together and also graduated the same year. Her little brothers are the "cowboys" from The Amazing Race. The boys were still little when we graduated and they later moved to a town about an hour away. Nicki and I still keep in touch through Facebook and cards at Christmas. Both Nicki and her Mom, Janet, are professional photographers. Janet came down this past fall and did a shoot with my sister and her family. The photos are gorgeous. Can't wait until the new season of The Amazing Race starts up, they get to race again. We are rooting for them to come in first this time.

I really don't "know" this connection but he, Greg Upchurch, went to our rival school Kingston. He was in their school band when I was in our school band. I remember him from being in the band but that's really it. Anyway, he went on to help form the band Puddle of Mudd and currently plays the drums for 3 Doors Down.

They aren't from my hometown but Brent's sister, Becky, and her husband are good friends with Chris Boniol and his wife. He kicked for the Dallas Cowboys and now is a kicking coach for them. They met each other when the Boniols were living in the same town as Becky. Colton has an autographed card from him.

So there you go. That's all that I know of. I think it's really neat to have those connections. Like I said, it's a small world after all :) Do you have any neat connections?

Potpourri of Information

2011-01-25T18:50:00.003-06:00

We are still trucking right along. Nothing exciting going on, our typical winter. Things did get a little bit wild yesterday evening on our way back home from the dentist. Both kids and Brent had to go. Brent's appointment was earlier so he went on over and I brought the kids after school so they wouldn't have to miss anything. Everything was fine until halfway home Hannah told me her stomach was hurting really bad and wanted to find a bathroom. I knew it must have hurt because she is one that doesn't like to go #2 in public restrooms. She was in for about 5 minutes but didn't do anything and the pain was worse. She was doubled over in the backseat crying. We got home and I called my sister who is a RN. She said I better just take her into the ER. So here we go. By this time she is having a hard time standing straight and walking. My thought was ruptured appendix.

We walked into the ER and of course there is a line to register. I finally got her checked in with several people in front of us. And she. Is. Hurting. She kept on asking "I'm I next" and I just had to keep on telling her no. I usually am the calm one in situations like this but she scared me.

Thankfully we got to go to a room after her vitals were taken. Shelly had called, she works at the hospital, to see if there was any way she could get moved up. And we did. It's nice having some inside connections.

So after blood work, urine test and a cat scan, appendicitis was ruled out and turns out she had a urinary tract infection. I can't believe how hard and fast it hit her without any warning signs. Crazy. They dosed her up with some medicine and we got to come home. I let her stay home today so she could drink lots of water and rest. She is in fine form now and will be returning to school tomorrow.

Now to Colton. He starting having cold like symptoms last night. I've had a little cold so I thought that is what he had so I went on and sent him to school. He texted me at lunch feeling worse so I went on and picked him up and made an appointment to see the doctor. And he has bronchitis. Great. So we go back to the pharmacy, went earlier for Hannah's medicine, and got him started on his antibiotic. He is suppose to run at an indoor track meet at OU Friday but I don't see it happening.

And Brent is having some issues and he may have diverticulitis so he has been on antibiotics among other things.

So currently, the dog and I are not on any medications. (Knock on wood.) Hopefully everyone will be on the road to recovery and feeling better. Now I must go so I can put my nurse hat back on and give the patients their medicine for the night :)

Oh one more thing. Paul Ryan, he's giving the GOP response to the State of the Union, is married to a girl from my hometown. Her sister and I are the same age and still keep in touch. Her Dad still lives here. I don't agree with Paul Ryan politically, but think it's pretty cool that our small town has connections to a big player in the Repulican party. My Dad gets Christmas cards from them too :)

No School

2011-01-10T09:58:00.003-06:00

We are out of school today because of the snow/ice. The automated call went out at 2:30 PM yesterday thankfully and not at 6:00 AM this morning. Go Madill officials. We usually are the last of the schools to close so I know parents appreciated the early heads up so arrangements could be made.

So we are just hanging out at the house. I have both of my nephews today and so far we are all playing nicely with one another :)

Here is a picture of Hannah I took with my iPhone using the instagram app last week when it was nice. We were at my sister's house playing with their new puppy Rudy Nacho. It was taken in front of the ivy that is on her garage/outbuilding. It's my favorite place to take pictures.

I love this app. And it's free which is even better. Check it out in iTunes.

A Little Bit of Oklahoma Snow

2011-01-09T09:55:00.006-06:00

We have been hearing about a big cold snap coming for at least 10 days now. It started showing up early this morning with sleet but then snow. I think it's back to sleet right now. It's suppose to get even colder this week with the highs being around the freezing mark which usually is our lows so yeah, that's the talk around these parts :) Anywho, it was still nice out yesterday so the kids, Brent and my Dad worked on splitting wood that has been in our pasture and got it all done and ready for the cold, yea!!!! So today we are just hanging out around the fire and watching t.v. P.S. I love it when TBS shows cheesy chick flicks. You know, the ones you have watched about a million times but you still can watch them again.

Here is a video I got this morning while it was snowing. It's hard to see but thought I would share.

It has taken me almost 3 hours to upload this video and now it's snowing again with bigger and better flakes but the quality of the video is bad and like I said almost 3 hours to get it uploaded so......there you go.

Goodbye 2010

2010-12-31T08:06:00.004-06:00

2010 was definitely a lot better than 2009. We survived our first full year without Mom around. I was weepier during the holidays this year than I was last year. I think last year we were just going through the motions. And I think because Colton turned 16. And a certain situation developed that I'm still trying to grasp, and I'm sure I will eventually, but it may take me awhile.

So bring on 2011. No New Year's resolutions because I don't keep them anyway. Maybe some goals?

1. Start exercising
2. Scrapbook more
3. Learn more about my camera
4. Don't sweat the small stuff

We are chilling at the house tonight. Colton has friends coming over today. The weather is going to be nice, around 70, so they will probably be out in the woods shooting each other with airsoft rifles. Fun huh?

So from our family to yours ~ Happy New Year and here's to a fantastic 2011. Cheers!

Nice Surprise

2010-12-28T09:17:00.002-06:00

I've been following The Glamourous Life of a Housewife for quite some time now. She lives in Oklahoma too. She had a contest to find new appetizer recipes. I had just made Sausage Wontons for my dad's Christmas party so I thought I would submit that recipe. Dad had them at a party at school and got the recipe. And for dad to get the recipe it must have been good. I didn't even eat one because I got them ready for him to bake at his house because they are best served warm. I made them for our family Christmas Eve get together and he was right, they were good and a big hit.

So anyway, I was catching up on my Google Reader this morning and discovered she picked my recipe as one of the three she made for her family Christmas get together. It didn't win the overall contest but it was pretty cool to be picked. It's the little things y'all :)

So I thought I would share the recipe if you wanted to try them for New Year's parties. If you want to see what they look like click on the "she picked my recipe" link above.

Sausage Wontons

1 lb sausage
1 C ranch dressing
1 1/2 C cheddar cheese, grated
1 1/2 C monterey jack cheese, grated
1 package wonton wrappers

Brown sausage, drain, and place in bowl with cheeses and ranch dressing; mix. Spray the bottoms of mini muffin pan and place one wonton in the bottom of each muffin space gently pushing down so the corners of the wonton are standing straight up creating a space for the filling. Drop a small amount of filling into each opening. (There should be enough filling to fill two mini-muffin pans.) The filling may be held over or frozen to be used at a later time. Bake at 350 degrees for about 10 minutes or until the wontons are golden brown. Serve warm.

And like that, it's over.

2010-12-27T10:14:00.003-06:00

Another Christmas has come and gone. It comes faster and faster each year. I'm ready to take my stuff down already. Usually I hate to take it down because the house looks so bare but I'm ready this year. I guess I'm getting older and more scroogier. I think I just made a new word.

Some pictures.

Everybody had a good Christmas. I'm thankful that we are able to give our kids a good Christmas when there are so many that can't.

So this week should be relaxing. I'm not watching my nephews this week and I only know of one thing that needs to be exchanged. Colton gets to take his driver's license test this week, hopefully. Can't believe we'll have a kid driving legally, oy!

Oh, and I turned 41 yesterday. Brent took me out to eat and to the casino, my kind of day. My dad and his "special" friend came along too. It was fun.

Hope y'all had a great holiday and wishing you the best 2011.

Season's Greetings

2010-12-24T20:52:00.002-06:00

Hope you are enjoying the holiday season. We spent this evening at my dad's house with my 2 sisters and their families. The little ones are so funny and tell you exactly what they think of certain gifts.

We usually travel on Christmas day to visit Brent's family but we are staying home and going next week so Brent can watch bowl games with his dad and brother. So tomorrow we will hang out at home for most of the day then go in later for supper with dad and some friends he invited over who didn't have family visiting. Should be fun.

16

2010-12-20T21:01:00.002-06:00

He turned 16 today. I remember the night he was born like it was yesterday. I was in labor for 2 days with him so I guess that's something that doesn't leave your mind easily :) And after all that time, they still had to go get him.

He drives me crazy most of the time but he really is a good kid. I can't imagine our life without him. So happy birthday Colton, love ya lots!

The Children

2010-12-19T11:27:00.006-06:00

Another big break from not blogging. Not intentional but just have been busy. The kids last day was Friday and I'm glad. Can't believe Christmas is 6 days away. Finished up shopping, for the most part, on Friday. Brent is going this week to get a couple of things I need him to buy. We have 2 birthdays this week. Colton turns 16 tomorrow and then nephew Ben has a birthday on Wednesday.

Here are a few pictures I took of the kids for Christmas cards.

Oh yeah, Thanksgiving pictures.

2010-12-06T10:15:00.009-06:00

Just a little bit late. Oh well. Better later than never.

Hannah and Shae. Hannah wants to be Shae when she grows up :)

Colton and Shae. Colton's friends think Shae is hot :)

Brent's Dad and Grandpa Roath.

Brent's Mom Darlene. This was her first Thanksgiving in her new kitchen. It was so nice. We snuck out later that evening and visited the casino. That's a Thanksgivingny thing to do right? Right?

Niece Ally. We just caught her testing the mashed potatoes and there may have been double dipping involved.

Zack, Larry, Brent, Becky and Grandma Roath.

This was taken Friday morning. The picture window in the living room is lovely but shades are needed during the sunrise :)

So there you have it, another Thanksgiving has come and gone. On to Christmas and our 100 birthdays that is our December.

P.S. Sorry Bryan, Traci and Abby for not getting pictures of y'all.

Brittle

2010-12-01T14:03:00.002-06:00

This by far is the best brittle recipe I've come across and is the only recipe I use. It can be made with peanuts or chopped pecans. Brent likes the peanut brittle better but I like the pecan brittle better.

1 1/2 C raw peanuts or 1 1/2 C chopped pecans
1 C sugar
1/2 C white syrup
1/4 tsp salt
1 tbsp vanilla
1 tbsp butter
1 tbsp baking soda

Combine nuts, sugar, white syrup and salt in a 2 qt microwavable bowl. Microwave 6-7minutes stirring halfway through cooking time. (I microwave for 3 minutes, stir, then 3 more minutes. I have a 950 watt microwave. When I was first made this, I burnt a couple of batches until I figure out what time worked best with my microwave.) Stir in vanilla, butter and microwave 2 minutes. Add baking soda stirring quickly. Brittle will become foamy. Pour out on greased cookie sheet. Let hardened then break into small pieces.

Enjoy!!!

Hannah & Daddy Baking Day

2010-11-14T16:27:00.008-06:00

Well not really baking but making their famous no bake cookies. I don't know why we don't make these more often, they are so stinkin' easy to make.

You don't know how happy this makes Brent. Hannah got everything out and lined up the ingredients in the order the recipe showed. She is his "organized" child.

And we're measuring.

And we're dumping.

And voila! No bake cookies.

And she was waiting on anything to drop to the floor.

November already? Where did 2010 go?

2010-11-01T10:06:00.002-05:00

I looked at the November calendar last night and realized Thanksgiving is only 3 1/2 weeks away *facepalm*. I need to check my baking stuff to see if they are still in date. As far as I can tell, this month will be the calm before the storm that is our December.

Happy Halloween

2010-10-31T17:16:00.006-05:00

Our town had trick or treating last night. Today has been lazy. Watched a little Rocky Horror and Halloween today. After lunch Brent and I played Boggle and Yahtzee with Hannah.

So Saturday everyone was spread out across the state. Colton was in Edmond, OK at the State Cross Country Meet. Brent and my Dad went to watch. They didn't do very well, I felt bad for the kids. Hannah had her last game to cheer then I dropped her off at my sister's house so she could play with her boys. So I had the afternoon home alone, yea!!!!!

We had "Halloween" at my Dad's house like always. He had a costume party to go to and he found the perfect costume.

He started growing out the beard a few weeks ago, it has been driving him crazy. I haven't talked to him today to see how the party/costume went.

Colton borrowed Luke's plastic hair and helped pass out candy.

And the rest of the crew. Luke was a Transformer, Ben a coach and Hannah was a creepy skeleton thing monster, I'm not really sure.

We had a fun Halloween. Now on to Thanksgiving :)

Tuckered Out

2010-10-26T12:15:00.000-05:00

A Texas Ranger Journey

2010-10-25T12:00:00.009-05:00

I never followed baseball until I met Brent. He introduced me to his favorite team, the Texas Rangers.

This was my first Texas Rangers game circa 1991 I believe.

I can't remember who they played or even if they won.

Shelly and Bryan came along too. They were our chaperones and made sure there wasn't any pre-marital hanky panky. I can remember seeing "KKK". I whispered to Shelly "can you believe they have KKK up like that". Brent informed me it was for the strikeouts. Ooops! See, never followed baseball. I was also shocked that the fans booed one of the players everytime he came out. So I asked Brent why do they boo that guy when he comes out. His name? Steve Buuuuuueeeeeechele. Ah! Not booing. Oooops! Again, never followed baseball.

Years later Brent got to take his only son to his first ever Rangers game, circa 1998.

We got there early to walk around the stadium and to watch batting practice. Colton got a ball.

Colton was a little trooper. It was a long, hot day. He lasted until the 7th inning before falling asleep in my lap.

2003 was Hannah's first experience at a Ranger game. She was more interested in the food than the game.

We had awesome seats. Right behind their dugout.

See, close. (Bet Teixeira wishes he was still a Ranger.)

So the past 20 years I have gotten to know the Rangers and the game of baseball. We have gone to games, watch the games etc. He even took me to a game on our 10 year wedding anniversary. It was dollar hot dog night. Nothing says "I love you" like dollar hot dog night. He did, however, paid to have our names put on the board wishing us a Happy Anniversary. I have listened to Brent say year after year that this is their year. They got close a few years ago winning the AL west title for the first time ever. We were at their game the following day. I've also heard a lot of "those sons of bitches I'm not ever watching them again" too but he still came back to them.

And finally on October 22, 2010, a day my sweet husband and many of a Texas Rangers fan has been waiting for,

the Rangers won their first ever ALCS in game 6 beating the Yankees. Beating the Yankees makes it so much sweeter too for people like my sweet husband who HATES the Yankees and everything they stand for. So now on to the World Series. I might need to buy more Tums :)

HS Cheer Performance

2010-10-24T15:31:00.006-05:00

Thursday night Hannah and the rest of the Cheer Cats performed at the high school football game. It wasn't very crowded because of fall break but I think in the long run it was good for their nerves. I'm waiting on my sister to upload the video of their dance to share. Hopefully you won't be able to hear my very southern accent yelling :)

I graduated with this little girl's parents. They also have another girl Colton's age.

Hannah and her bff Bailey. They have been friends since prek.

The girl on the left belongs to a boy that lived across the street from us when I was little. And her Mom babysat Colton some when he was a baby.

And my little star ;) practicing stunts. They nailed it during the game too. Yessss!

Varsity

2010-10-23T15:14:00.004-05:00

Colton this morning getting ready to go to Regionals in Norman, OK. Brent went on the bus with the team. He didn't get to run, he was an alternate, but he got to go just in case he had to run for somebody. He didn't have to and I'm sure he isn't to upset about it because it has rained all day in Norman, OK. They are on the way home with a Regional Championship trophy. The girls placed 2nd. So we go to State next Saturday. Way to go Wildcats!!!!!

Hannah and I stayed home because of cheerleading. As we were going down our road, I got a no cheering text so we turned around, yea!!!! Comfy clothes went on and we have been enjoying a quiet, lazy, rainy day. Love days like this.

Junior High State Cross Country Meet

2010-10-22T20:26:00.003-05:00

She ran in the pouring rain and placed 33 out of 91 girls. Girls team placed 3rd and boys team placed 2nd. Way to go Wildcats!!!

Class of 2013

2010-10-20T20:36:00.005-05:00

Colton got his class ring today. When he brought the order form home I was really surprised he even wanted a ring. It's his birthday present this year so happy early birthday Colton.

His name and school mascot (Wildcats) on this side.

The year he graduates and the cross country symbol. I also realized the year he graduates will be my 25th high school reunion, OY!

Can't remember what is around the stone and can't figure it out from the picture. On the stone is M for Madill. The stone is July's birthstone, he didn't like December's birthstone.

I still can't believe he will be out of school in 2 years. Seems just like yesterday I was taking him to Kindergarten :(

Jimmy Ward's 1st Annual Cookout

2010-10-18T14:15:00.007-05:00

My Dad had a cookout at our place this past Saturday. We probably had around 60 people out at one time or another. We had a blast.

He even got a band. Introducing the Fat Bastards.

Yes you read that right, Fat Bastards. Back in the day there was a little local band called Mesa Ridge. These guys are 3 of the original members that still play a little here and there. They played a lot of their old songs, it brought back so many fun memories of going out dancing with friends. A lot of those friends were at the party and it was fun laughing and reminiscing. A little trivia for ya, the guy on the left was our contractor when we built our new house.

There was lots and lots of dancing. Dad goes to a couple of different places to dance and he has met some new people. They are a hoot.

And the surprise guest.

Michael Jackson? I have known this woman as long as I can remember. She danced to Beat It and it was hysterical.

Even the little ones had a ball.

So glad everyone had a good time. They think Dad needs to do this twice a year, in the Fall and in the Spring. He probably will knowing him.

For some non-party news, Colton had to run Saturday and ran his best 5k (19 minutes). He now will get to be an alternate on the varsity team this Saturday at regionals. We are beyond proud of him.

Reuel Little Classic 2010

2010-10-12T13:46:00.008-05:00

Colton & Hannah ran in the Reuel Little Classic last Saturday. It was Hannah's 3rd time & Colton's 1st time to run this race. They both ran the 5k.

He can sense me & my camera a mile away.

She will forever let me take her picture.

He ran his best 5K with a time of 19'50", he placed 4th in his age division. He did a fantastic job.

She ran her best 5K with a time of 23'49", she placed 6th in her age division. She also gets to run at State, again, for Junior High next week. She did a fantastic job.

They have been working really hard, since July, & we are so proud of them.

Random

2010-10-06T19:19:00.002-05:00

Lawsy I have neglected the old blog again. We have (and by we I mean the kids) are still running but there is light at the end of the tunnel. Colton is running tomorrow in Edmond, OK and they are both running Saturday in the Reuel Little Classic 5K. If Hannah places in the top 15 for the Junior High she will get to run at state October 22nd and that will be her last meet, if she makes it but I'm pretty sure she will. Not sure if Colton will get to go to state this year but he has really improved since the beginning of the season. He has done well for being his first time running cross country.

Hannah is still cheering on Saturdays and her last game is October 30th. They are performing at the high school game in a couple weeks and she got moved to the bigger stunt because the little girl who was doing it hasn't shown up for practice. They put her up a few times and they nailed it so she was just a little bit excited. Just hope it goes well during the performance. A mother of one of the girls on the team called the assistant coach, who also happens to be a close friend of mine :), asking why Hannah is the star of everything and why her little girl didn't get to be in a stunt. Really? Oh the drama of 5th grade, and I have a feeling it won't get any better as they get older.

My Dad is throwing a big cookout at our house next weekend so Brent has been working really hard cleaning up his shop. There is going to be a band and dancing so should be fun. There is also going to be a surprise guest. Can't wait to see what that is, Dad won't tell me or Brent. There is no telling what that man has up his sleeve.

So Sad

2010-09-26T17:35:00.002-05:00

When I got on Facebook this morning I was surprised and heartbroken to find out that the old barracks at Fort Washita was on fire. A many of school field trips have been taken to Fort Washita and lots of family memories have been made there too.

A little history about Fort Washita taken from redriverhistorian.com:

Fort Washita is today an historic site
managed by the Oklahoma Historical
Society and listed on the National Register.
Sitting close to the Washita River, along the
old Texas Road, the Fort is a scenic,
contemplative and quiet place where one
can really reflect on history. But in its
former use as a frontier outpost, the Fort
saw lots of action.

Established in 1842, the fort's main
purpose was to protect Chickasaw and
Choctaw settlers from the Plains Indians.
Being the furthest fort in the Southwest,
Fort Washita anchored growing Indian
communities as well as serving as a
staging area for the Mexican-American war
of 1848. Though the fort generally had a
population of about 150 soldiers, during the
height of that war over 2,000 troops called
it home.

Post-war, the Fort became the seat of the
Chickasaw and Choctaw agencies, As 1861
rolled around, however, the Union army
abandoned its post after the Choctaw and
Chickasaw nations seceded, and
Confederate forces soon took over.

Well, we all know what happened to the
Confederates. Fort Washita did not see any
major battles as it was a solidly built place,
though there may have been attempts by
the Union army. Nonetheless, by 1865 the
fort was abandoned. As the frontier moved
further west, settlers dismantled many of
the stone structures. The Chickasaw
leader Charles Colbert bought the fort and
lands surrounding it, and his extended
family lived in many of the buildings. Their
house - the former West Barrack - burned
in 1917, but the family remained (and many
members are buried on the grounds). In
1962, the Colberts deeded the property to
the Oklahoma Historical Society, which has
done a superb job of preserving it.

Driving out to Fort Washita, you'll see cross
timbered prairies and pass semi-ghost
towns, relics of Fort Washita's hey-days.
The drive is truly tonic for the soul. Fort
Washita has a wonderful interpreter on
staff and a small museum and store. So
drive on out and witness Oklahoma history
first hand!

My sister Shelly text me this morning and wanted to know if we wanted to go out there this eveing for a picnic. She had no idea that the building was on fire. Spooooooookkkkky!!!!!

Harley

2010-09-20T12:01:00.002-05:00

LO from Design House Digital video tutorial

Digital elements from Jen Allyson Pink Lemonade Free Kit

Cross Country

2010-09-19T12:00:00.000-05:00

We run miles not yards.

Colton

2010-09-18T20:43:00.003-05:00

Homeboy medal today at the Cross Country meet and I think he was a little bit excited. He placed 13th which is the highest he has placed in a meet. He barely let me take this picture. Hannah and I had to leave again after she got done for a ballgame. Both were in the same town so yea!!! And it was hot again and I don't see it getting cooler any time soon.

Quick Pages Are Quick. Well duh!!!

2010-09-17T14:23:00.002-05:00

erica quickpage design

This was a freebie from Jessica Sprague birthday week. Just dropped the picture in, added name, date and voila!, a page done. I {heart} free digital downloads. Go look around. There is lots and lots available.

2010-09-16T22:14:00.002-05:00

sketch from Basic Grey

Still working on digital scrapbooking. Learning more and more but just need to practice more so it doesn't take me so looooong to get 1 page done.

Cheer!!!

2010-09-15T14:43:00.003-05:00

I've been really neglecting my blog. Need to do better. We are in the full swing of back of school, cross country, cheer & a thousand of other things thrown in for fun. And I use the term "fun" loosely because it consists of me driving, picking up, dropping off and waiting on kids.

Last Saturday was Hannah's first football game.

She also ran that morning in Ardmore and thankfully we were only about 30 minutes away from the football game and we have the 2nd game this year. I didn't get to see Colton run but Brent represented so there you go. The only thing I forgot was to grab the "easy" camera for Brent to take so he could take pictures of Colton. I hope he doesn't feel neglected the poor thing. Momma will get her head out of her butt next week son.

Oh yeah, it was hot Saturday. Like so hot by the time it was time for the 6th grade to play it was Africa hot. A cheerleader fainted and had to be taken to the hospital and I was told several football players had to strip off jerseys/pads because they overheated. It wasn't so much the temperature, but the humidity.

This week has been long. It's. Only. Wednesday. Brent left Monday for Kansas City, suppose to be back Thursday but then he might have to go to Chicago on Friday. I'm not really sure at this point so I guess I will see him when I see him. And just so you know Brent, you get to take me out to dinner sometime soon. Very. Soon.

Cross Country Time

2010-09-04T20:06:00.005-05:00

The kids ran in their first official meet of the year. We traveled to Valley View, Texas. They had to be at the school at 6:00 AM, oy!!!!

Colton ran with the JV. JV boys got 2nd place. Colton was disqualified. A kid from another team was throwing elbows and bumping early on in the race. When they got behind some trees the kid kicked the feet out from under Colton's friend and made him fall. Long story short, Colton took up for his friend. Colton, the friend and the other kid were disqualified. Brent told him he was glad he took up for his friend but it better not happen again. So who knew cross country was a contact sport. Colton apologized to his coach and he wasn't mad thank goodness. From what I heard this happens especially when kids can't be seen by spectators. So I guess that Texas kid will think twice before he messes with Oklahoma boys (no offense if you are from Texas).

And then there's Hannah. She runs with the Junior High. Out of 119 kids, who are older mind you, she placed 23rd. I couldn't believe it. She did awesome. And what team won?

Madill did babbbby! Junior High boys also placed 1st. Varsity girls placed 4th. Varsity boys placed 2nd. JV girls only had 2 running so they didn't have a chance. Not to shabby I say :)

Crafty

2010-08-25T15:46:00.003-05:00

Did hell freeze over? It must have because I actually scrapbooked today. Woo hoo!!! I haven't done anything all Summer. One reason is the kids are upstairs and I can't concentrate and the bigger reason is because it is H.O.T. upstairs during the summer. Their living room, which also has my scrapbook stuff, is located over the garage....so there you go.

We had a cold front come thru last night which brought much cooler temperatures and lower humidity. A little taste of Fall. Yea!!!! I actually turned off the air and opened windows. Another yea!!! So thus me going up to get crafty.

These pictures were taken almost a year ago so yeah, I'm a little bit behind.

This picture was taken during our trip to Tulsa last year for CKC. CKC this year was last weekend and I cancelled because, well, a bunch of different little reasons. I missed getting away but there is always next year.

So hopefully this will jump start me into getting back in the swing of things and get caught up again. Well get 2009 caught up :)

Ready For A Picnic

2010-08-21T19:28:00.002-05:00

My Uncle Brad (my Dad's brother who is in his 80s) made us a picnic table. At the last family reunion, he asked Brent if we would like one. Uhhhhhhh, yeah! They always cook under this tree during family reunions so I guess he thought it would be nice to have for people to hang out.

It was so thoughtful for him to do this for us and I will treasure it always!!!

Such A Hard Life!!!

2010-08-16T11:42:00.002-05:00

Harley

2010-08-13T10:28:00.001-05:00

Thought it would be a couple of years before we got another dog but I got the call from Brent last week telling me if I wanted to, my Dad's friend had puppies he was giving away. So I jumped on the chance and took advantage of Brent's weakness and made arrangements to get her on Monday.

She is finally getting used to being in our family. I'm crate training her and it's going surprisingly well (knock on wood). I slepted on the couch the first 2 nights so I could hear her before the whole house did. I slept in my bed last night. She got up at 1:40 AM to go out. I got her back in her crate in about 10 minutes. She whined off and on for a few minutes and went to sleep. I got her up after my alarm went off. So I think that was really good for the 3rd night. I hope tonight goes as smooth.

Happy Times Are Here Again

2010-08-12T10:12:00.003-05:00

Hear the choirs singing? Back to school was yesterday. It was a good thing really. The kids were getting on my nerves, each other's nerves......so for everybody's right frame of mind, it was time.

Colton is a 10th grader this year.

Hannah is a 5th grader.

They both had their running stuff on so no full "what I wore on the 1st day of school" version of pictures this year. And they run after school so didn't get a picture then and I sure wasn't going to ask them to put their school clothes back on because they were hot, cranky and tired. Can't say I can blame them, it was only 100 degrees plus heat index of who knows what but trust me, it was miserable. Let's just say that this household is ready for cooler weather.

Sweet Boy

2010-08-02T15:03:00.004-05:00

A digital layout and it only took me 2 days to complete. OY!!!! And what's really sad there isn't really anything fancy.

Sketch ~ BasicGrey
S & B ~ Designs By Sarah Bryan
Everything Else ~ kevinandamanda fall 2009

I really dig this digital scrapbooking thing. Thank goodness for free tutorials on You Tube and other bloggers that share their knowledge. I know that practice makes perfect and I love the idea of being able to scrap this way on the go etc.... I don't think I will ever completely give up the "old fashion way" of scrapping (to much money invested and all that jazz).

I'm A Big Girl Now

2010-08-01T15:46:00.004-05:00

For Hannah's birthday present, last year, she wanted her room repainted. She really never liked the color we painted it when we built the house but I had my eye on this bright pink for a year and wanted to paint her room that color.

It was kind of sad that the pink was going. Hannah said she guessed she was getting older because now her room was purple :)

So now to find new bedding, lamps, curtains....... Hopefully I will be able to find things on sale when stores are moving out their summer stuff for their winter stuff.

Speaking of summer and it's 106 degrees plus humidity is getting on my last loving nerve. I'm so looking towards fall's cooler temperatures.

2010-07-25T09:00:00.004-05:00

Aiden's first trip down to our pond. He wasn't quite big enough to feed the fish yet but next year he will be :)

And Martha's first trip down to the pond. She was big enough to feed the fish :)

Becky is an old pro at feeding the fish :)

And we stuck Grandma in the back of the Ranger.

But she didn't care 'cause the chauffeurs were cute.

Cousins + Trampoline = Good Times

2010-07-24T09:00:00.000-05:00

Great Grandma

2010-07-23T09:00:00.001-05:00

Darlene with her first great grandbaby :)

Uncle Brent & Aiden

2010-07-22T10:10:00.004-05:00

Brent & Aiden hanging out together on Sunday morning. Aiden's facial expressions are so funny.

I could just eat him up!!!

Cowboy Baby Shower

2010-07-20T11:02:00.012-05:00

Finally pictures of the baby shower we had for Martha. The theme was used all because of a boot glass that was used from a baby shower I helped with a couple of years ago & of course I forgot to take a picture of them, but I promise they were cute.

I got the men to stack bales of hay for me. We put a saddle on top to go with our theme. My BIL, Bryan, also found some rope & wagon wheels.

I made the cupcake tower/holder by covering boxes with brown craft material. I bought the material, on sale mind you, at Hobby Lobby cutting strips & then putting jute around the whole thing. I made the tag out of sandpaper using a diecut & then adding stickers. I loved this thing, so cute!!! Forgot to get a picture of the entire table with all of the goodies on it too. I found paper bandana bowls at Hobby Lobby that were very good as far as quality. They had a great "cowboy" section in their party section. I found bandana printed napkins at a party supply place but Hobby Lobby also had some too. I used my blue speckled enamelware roaster for the punch bowl and used a old white enamel water dipper that belonged to a great grandma or great aunt, not sure which.

And of course tissue pom poms. I wanted to stagger them more but the way we had to have the table, people would have walked into them. Oh well!

And the guest of honor, Martha.

And the other guest of honor, Aiden, who slept through the entire thing :)

I'm so glad for this picture, 5 generations.

Cousin Jenny with Martha. She drove in from Arkansas to surprise Martha.

Martha with her Great Grandmother.

This is what we gave to guests when they left. I made cracker jacks. I used brown lunch sacks to hold them, printed out the recipe & attached it with a clothespin covered with patterned paper. I added a little rhinestone to the clothespin too.

We played a couple of games. I gave each guest a clothespin & if they heard someone else say "baby" they could take away their clothespin. The guest with the most clothespins at the end of the opening of the gifts won a prize. We also melted different candy bars in 5 different diapers to make it look like poop. They had to guess what type of candy bar was in each diaper. Sick game but funny!

We had a fantastic time & I was so glad that we got to do this for the new Momma and her sweet baby boy!!!!

Update

2010-07-14T15:58:00.002-05:00

We are still alive and well. Just enjoying summer and counting down until school starts again. We have 4 weeks to be exact, not that I'm ready or anything :)

Hannah had swimmer's ear in both ears 2 weeks ago and I had Colton in the Dr's on Monday with a really yucky ear infection. This new swimming pool has cost us an arm and a leg in Dr's visits/medicine.

I've been getting things together for our niece's baby shower this Saturday. I've got everything ready to go, I think, and will work on food prep on Friday. I will show pictures of the things I made/did on Sunday. Don't want Martha to see just yet.

My Dad had his knee replacement done yesterday. He is doing great. He has already been walking down the hall this morning. Haven't heard how group therapy went but I'm sure he did fantastic. He'll be coming home Friday afternoon. I know he is just glad to have it over with.

Cross country starts in the morning. Early. At least we will be in the habit of getting up early when school starts. Both kids are going to run this year.

So I guess that is all that is going on. Exciting right?

Happy Fourth

2010-07-04T16:42:00.008-05:00

Hope you are having or had a great holiday. We have everything ready to go and just waiting on guests to arrive. I found some really cute ideas on the web for today.

I found this idea here. So cute and easy to do. And I can use the same idea for different holidays.

A close up of the tag. There are several options you can choose from. This one had 2010 on it but she also included one that had no year.

I found this idea here. She had some more stuff I wanted to do and would have if I wasn't lazy butt yesterday. There is always next year :)

Fire Power

2010-07-02T16:58:00.004-05:00

We are getting ready for July 4th around here. Brent's family won't be able to come this year; wish they were. Instead of the usual hamburger/hotdog cookout Brent & my Dad thought fajitas would be good. There is a Mexican resturant/grocery store that has fajita meat ready to grill so they went over today to pick some up.

They also hit the Firework's Warehouse. One of them in there is bad enough but both of them? Oy vey!!!!

Looking Back ~ Chapter One

2010-07-01T18:55:00.006-05:00

Oh my goodness!! I was in the fire safe yesterday digging out Colton's stuff to get his driver's permit & found 3 disks of pictures that I had saved. The years '04, '05 & '06. It was so fun looking back through them & seeing how young the kids looked because well, they were younger. All taken long before I started blogging so I thought it would be neat to post.

We are all done with softball & baseball. Colton said he would try cross country this year so he & Hannah will have a couple of weeks off before they will start running. School will be starting again before I know it.