I'm Still Here!

I can't believe it! I'm in! I truely haven't been purposely neglecting my blog. I couldn't get into it! Periodically I'd try, and would just give up. I had switched over to the new Blogger and got locked out of my blog. Hopefully I'll be able to start blogging again!

Tons of things have gone on since I last blogged. Dakota turned a year old in March, and she's walking all over the place! What a goofy little kid! :) Katie was having problems with her band teacher, and her grades were falling. She finally was able to quit band and her grades are all A's and B's now. Go Katie! It's pitiful how a shitty teacher can have such an effect on a kid, and the admin won't do anything about it! Kelsea is our little socialite. She's discovered IM'ing and hogs my computer when she comes over! Baseball season has started, and Jacob's having practices and tryouts for position. He's wanting 1st base. Good luck, Jacob!

I started Weight Watchers Tuesday. Way past due, but we'll see what happens. My friend Cindy inspired me to start. She's lost 30 pounds on WW! Yea, Cindy! I'll keep you posted--provided I can get back in here--on how I'm doing!

More great news! I may possibly be going to another Goo Goo Dolls concert with my GOOd buddy Colleen in August! Hope it works out! I'll be calling the Pavillion tomorrow to see if seating is reserved. If not, we won't be going. Too many young kids to compete with! lol I'll keep you posted on this, too!

Gotta run! Hope I'm able to get back in here. I'm working on a new recipe page for the swap and it's almost done, so I want to post it for you!

Hope to see you soon!

Counting Down

We'll see if this works! I've been having all kinds of trouble since I downloaded Internet Explorer 7. Don't you hate it when it's recommended you download something, and then have all kinds of problems with it? It seems like it never works the same! But I think I've found a way around it!

I just love bath-tubby pics! I couldn't get her to keep the wash cloth out of her mouth long enough to get a picture of her! lol Everything goes in the mouth! lol

I'm counting down the days to the concert! March 3 can't get here fast enough! I'm hoping the weather cooperates. But no matter--I'll go by dogsled if I have to! lol If you haven't heard any of their music, or don't know who they are, just go to www.googoodolls.com You can listen to their music and find out all kinds of things about them. And if you want to drool over them like I do, just check out their pic at the top of my blog! LOL

Ryan and Audrey had to take Dakota to the ER tonight. I hate it when the little ones get hurt! Audrey was moving her crib from their bedroom to her bedroom, and I guess it was in pieces. In trying to put it together, a piece fell on Dakota and knocked her into something and now she has a big goose egg on the top of her little head! Poor baby! She's ok, thank God, but they just have to keep an eye on her. Audrey is making an appointment with her regular dr. tomorrow, so he can check her out. Denny's off tomorrow, so we're going to stop over and see her after his dr. appt. Grandpa says we have to stop and pick her up a little get well gift, tho. I think he likes her a little bit! lol

Just for Me

Well, I tried posting a bath-tubby pic of Dakota, but I got one of those "we've encountered a problem and need to shut down" things. Bummer! I tried blogging the other night and got the same results, so I gave up on it. I just downloaded Internet Explorer 7 the other day, and have had this problem a lot! It seems like everytime I download a new version of something, there are kinks to work out. Hopefully I'll be able to download some pics soon. Hopefully I won't type all of this for nothing! lol

Lots of things have been going on, but I won't bombard you with everything at once. But I will tell you my most exciting news--I get to see the Goo Goo Dolls! That's my boys up there in my banner! I just love these guys! I never thought they'd ever come close to where I was, so I didn't think seeing them would ever become a reality. But I was cruising one of their sites a few weeks ago, and was looking at their calendar. Lo and behold, I swear the heavens opened up and shined a big, bright light on March 3, showing that they're playing in Moline, IL at the Mark! That's actually almost 500 miles from where I live. BUT....Moline, IL is right across the river from Davenport, IA, where I was born and raised! So we're making a trip home! I'm so excited, and still can't believe I get to go! I went ahead and bought 2 tickets, 'cause someone was going with me. The first person I called was my oldest and dearest friend, Colleen. She immediately said she'd love to go with me. What a friend! So I burned a bunch of their songs to a CD, and sent it to her so she could get familiar with their music. She thinks I'm such a crack head! LOL So that's my big "just for me" happy news! Now--what does a 52 year old wear to a rock concert???!

My Dream

Isn't this just the coolest stove you've ever seen???!!! I love it and I want it! It's a 1951 O'Keefe and Merritt--Model #5850! ( Check it out and see a bunch of other cool retro stoves). I sound like Ralphie in Christmas Story, trying to sell his folks on the Red Rider BB gun! lol For years now, I've been wanting a stove with 2 ovens. Mostly for the holidays. It's hard to cook the turkey, dressing, and green bean casserole in one little oven! I actually used to have an old stove with 2 ovens back when Denny and were first married. But I was too young to appreciate it, naturally! So last night I was googling, and came across this--the mother of all stoves, and I want it so bad I can taste it! It'll never happen, tho. The place that refurbishes these starts them out at $3500 and go as high as $12,000! So I can only dream..... :)

For Peggie and Zenita

Happy New Year! So how was your holiday? Ours was great! I love the holidays! I love the shopping, making the gifts, I love how crazy the stores are! And then I love when it's over! lol I've been busy since Sept./Oct. when I was getting ready for the craft show. After the show, I went straight into holiday mode. Then...the day after Christmas was Kelsea's birthday, so we took her shopping the day after, when Denny was off. We took the 3 oldest kids to the mall 1 1/2 hours away, and Kelsea got her Build A Bear. Then it was off to Chuck E Cheese. Their pizza hasn't improved since the last time I went to one! lol But the kids had a blast. Jacob kept saying it was the best day ever! After that we headed back home, and stopped at 2 Wal-Marts, so the kids could spend their gift cards. So they did indeed have a great day.

Now to the week-end, which is New Year's Eve. Ryan and his band had gigs Fri., Sat., and Sun. I ended up with little Miss Dakota from Sat. night, til Monday around noon. I enjoyed her, but as I always say...she wears me out! lol She was permantly attached to me, and wouldn't let me out of her sight! Poor Denny, she wouldn't have one thing to do with him! She'd play "at" him while she was on my lap, and he was sitting on the couch, but that was it. She'd cry if he tried to hold her! So needless to say, I was glad when it was nap time! lol

So...Dakota leaves Mon. noon, and the next day I get Libby's kids! She got sick and went to the ER Mon, and ended up back there early Tues. morn. They kept her, because she was dehydrated, and her blood pressure was extremely low, and she had an awful stomach flu, along with UTI. Mom dropped them off to me on Tues. noon, and I kept them thru Fri. morning, when I took them to school. But...Katie was sick, too. So I took her to the Dr., and she's at the tail end of the stomach flu! She's fine now, tho. So Libby got home Wed. night, but I thought she should rest up a day or so before having them back. After I took them to school, I stopped at Hardee's before going home. Bad mistake, and won't be making that one again! I had the biscuits and gravy (and a sausage and cheese biscuit!), and orange juice, and got sicker than a dog! Now, I'm not sure if it was if it was the food, or if I got some of Libby's and Katie's stuff, but I was sick all day and night Friday, and didn't feel good at all Sat. I did go to the crop, tho, Zenita! Probably should have stayed home, but I didn't want to lose the $10 I paid for the crop. You know how that is! lol I was still feeling a bit iffy this morning, but I'm fine now! Good thing, too, 'cause today is Denny's 58th birthday. It would have been a shame for us to have to stay home!

I took Denny out for lunch at a nice Italian restaurant in downtown Cape, called Bella Italia. Great food! Then we went to an antique mall 2 doors down, and bought an old cedar chest, an old piano stool, and a red water pump. I always wanted one of those! And the best part---25% off! Love a sale!

So that's what's been going on around here. I'm ready for things to slow down. I'm taking this month off and just chilling. I'll be helping Mom shell pecans. It's not a very big crop this year, so hopefully we'll get them done quick!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas, a Happy New Year, and stay away from the flu!

Merry Christmas!

Wow! I can't believe it's been so long since I've written anything! Is anybody still out there? Hope so! I've got to get better about this! I truely have been busy! I did manage to get the Christmas cards done. I'm just working on Mom's present--a recipe book of her favorite, tried and true recipes. I've got 12 pages done, and 8 to go. But I won't be getting that one done in time. I'm going to give it to her anyway, and will finish it up after the holidays. On each recipe, I left room for a picture. That means she's going to have to make these dishes if she wants a pic! lol I don't think that will be a problem.

Here's my babies! This is my anniversary present from Denny. He had Libby and Audrey take the kids down and get the picture taken. I love it! There's Katie-13, Jacob-8, Kelsea-11, and Dakota-7 months. Look at those dimples!

What do you think of this weather we've been having? Down here in SE MO, it's been in the 50's-60's. I haven't even been wearing a coat. Probably why I'm sick now! lol I've never seen it so warm for this time of year. Then my friends in OR and WA have had a plague thrust upon them, between the rain and the snow. Now my sister is in Denver, and we all know what's going on out there! Strange weather!

I'm wishing everyone a safe and Merry Christmas, and a Happy New Year! I'll check back in after the holidays!

Ho Ho Ho--Merry Christmas!

Isn't she just adorable???! I was watching her Tues. and snapped this one--and a dozen others!--off. I love this. Drool and all! lol I don't think we have a picture yet, that she's not drooling. She was so good to leave her hat on, too. I'm the one that ended up taking it off of her. So she's our kick-off to Christmas! lol The tree is up, the lights are hung, the living room is decorated, and the last major gift was purchased tonight. We're in good shape. Now to wrap them! That's the part I dread! And I'm freaking out! So much to do, so little time! It's been crazy since the craft show. I did ok at that, by the way. Not as much as I would have liked, but ok enough to think about doing it again next year! And if anyone needs a little "thinking of you" gift, I still have altered letters, and checkbook covers left. Leave me a message, or email me! Shameless, aren't I?! I wanted to start working on Mom's album. I'm doing a recipe album for her, and haven't got even one page done yet! Plus, I wanted to make my Christmas cards again this year. Don't know if that one's going to happen. We'll see! I've got a full day tomorrow--dr. appt., lunch with a friend--can't miss that!--drop off meds, take Christmas pics at Libby's...and that's not even all of it! Fri., I'm making spaghetti sauce for dinner Sat., have to do pics at WM--for class Sat. Go to bar and listen to Ryan play again--Sat. So you see how things are going? I guess a lot of us are in the same boat, tho. It will all get done one way or another, so there's no need to stress out. But it just wouldn't be the holidays if it were stress-free, would it? lol

10-49

We've had some more sad news around here. My uncle's twin brother passed away Thanksgiving morning. (My uncle was married to my Mom's sister, but she passed away a few years ago.) His brother had been sick for some time, then fell and hit his head recently, and didn't recover from that. It was sad. The two were almost inseparable. My uncle will have a huge void in his life now. But his son is staying a few more weeks to help him transition, and of course, my family and I are here, too. So we'll all do our best to help him get through.

But that being said, my uncle got through dinner pretty well, and under the circumstances, we all had a pretty good time. Ryan and Libby and their families were there, so we had a houseful! Something about the sound of kids makes it more special!

So are you wondering what 10-49 is? It's the band Ryan is in. They're pretty darn good! My cousin and I went and saw Ryan play Fri. night and stayed til 1 am! Hadn't planned on staying that long, but was having too good of a time to leave! lol He's playing again this weekend, so I'll be there. I don't drink anymore, so I think it's fun to watch drunk people! LOL OMG! You see everything when you're sober! lol But check out his website. Click on "Multimedia" on the right, then scroll down to "Start the Car" and you can listen to one of my favorite songs that he sings. Yeah, I'm proud! It was a Travis Tritt song, but he's rocked it out! Much better, IMHO! lol Oh--FYI--that 's NOT him singing the song that's playing when you first get on the site. To be honest, I don't like that song. Maybe because he's not singing it! lol

Mexican Cornbread

Here's this month's recipe, as promised! As I said yesterday, this stuff is to die for! lol If you're interested in the recipe, let me know and I'll pass it on. Aren't these papers the coolest? They're Cosmo Cricket's "Wanted". I love 'em! But I love all the papers I use. There's no hope for me! lol I think we're going to take a break in Dec. and not do the recipes. Everyone's just too busy. So don't look for another one 'til Jan.

I'm going to try to get a pic up of the kids soon. It's the one Denny gave me for our 30th anniversary. He had Libby and Audrey take all 4 of the kids down to get the pics taken. I guess it was a big ordeal. It took them 2 or 3 times to finally make it to the studio! But bless his heart, he managed to get it all done, and surprise me on top of it all. What a guy!

If I don't get back to the blog this week, hope you all have a safe and happy Thanksgiving! :)

Almost There!

Wow! I didn't realize it had been so long since I've blogged. I've been busy getting things ready for the craft show. This week I worked on tins and my recipe, which is due tomorrow. I didn't make the dish until today, so I had to hurry and take pics of it before we sat down for lunch. I invited my Mom, Uncle, and cousin--they were my taste-testers! lol It turned out pretty good! I'll finish putting the pics on tomorrow at the crop, and will TRY to post a pic of it on here tomorrow night. I like how it turned out. I wasn't sure at first, but I think it's actually one of my faves.

I've already sold a calendar! Thanks, Zenita!!!--wave, wave, wave!!! It was one done in the Daisy D's school papers. She's a teacher, so this one was right up her alley! :) So tell your friends, Zenita, and you guys be sure to come to the craft fair before going to the crop. I need the money for a Wishblade or Cricket! LOL

Getting Ready for the Craft Fair

Brandi got us all signed up, so it's official--we'll be participating in the craft show in Dec.! We've been working our butts off, getting stuff made. I've made purse calendars, checkbook covers, altered letters, and cards, and I'm still not done! I wanted to do some surprise boxes, so I hope I get to them. I took papers with me to the crop last week, so I could start on them, but didn't get the job done. Now I see on CKMB, the surprise boxes are the hit of this season. Everyone's doing them! I'm just ahead of the times, I guess! lol I told you I'd post some pics of some of the projects, so here they are. So far I've made 10 pocket calendars. (I bought 10 more to do!) I love these papers! The first one is Daisy D's, and the second one is Design Originals. I love just about anything retro, vintage, and nostalgic. Ya think??? lol I've posted pics of the rest of them, too, along with 5 checkbook covers, which are actually the first pics you'll see, so take a peek. Just click "next" to see them all! And wish me luck!

Life Goes On

We're finally back and I've been playing catch up. You know how it is when you're gone for awhile. And everything seems to just pile up on you. Things seem back to normal now. Denny is doing fine, for those of you who wondered. And he appreciated all your kind thoughts concerning his dad.

Halloween has come and gone, too. And here's Dakota, the good little witch! lol She was so cute! She even left her hat on. Libby's girls wouldn't have done that. They would have been yanking it off! lol I'd post pics of the girls, but they were pretty gross--Texas Chainsaw massacre-type gross! But they had a ball! I didn't get to see Jacob, but I heard he didn't even put on a costume--he went straight out for the candy! lol

I've been busy making stuff for the craft fair next month. I haven't done one of these in years! I don't want to do a bunch of shows--just this one and see how it goes. Later I'll post some pics so you can see what I've been doing. But I've been having fun!

Till next time--stay happy--stay safe! :)

Gone But Not Forgotten

We're making an unscheduled trip back up to IA. My father in law passed away last night. It was expected, but it's never easy. Julius was 89 years old in Sept. We're glad we were able to be there for his last birthday. His health has been declining for quite some time now. He lost both of his legs to diabetes, as well as his eye sight. And to top that all off, he was deaf. He had been in a lot of pain lately, and I think he had just given up. He was tired of fighting it all. But at least he passed away in his sleep and at home. That's the best any of us could have hoped for him. Goodbye, Johnny! It's been a heck of a ride....

Katie, Katie, Katie!

That's what Kelsea says, anyway! She thinks Katie gets everything. It's just like the Brady Bunch when Jan says--Marcia, Marcia, Marcia! lol

Well here's another digi layout for me. I'm still learning, and did figure out a little something tonight. While these layouts aren't award winning by any means, I'm happy with how they're turning out. And I'm learning, thanks to some nice people who give away freebies! Tonight's layout is thanks to Amanda Rockwell, Eva Kipler, and Megan Leeson. Thank you, ladies! :) And if any of you are interested in where I'm getting these goodies, go here and check it out.

So.....this is Katie in the Octoberfest Parade. She's first chair trumpet. But right now she's the only trumpet! lol She was first chair last year, too, and there were 3 of them! She fought hard for it last year, and maintained her seat.

She's so funny sometimes. She has a dry sense of humor, where Kelsea is outwardly funny, and Jacob--well, at 8, he's just kind of goofy! lol But she's got a boyfriend now. They actually liked each other a couple of years ago, too. Anyway... he's in the 9th grade, and she's in the 8th. I'm still cracking up over this! Today, she saw him in the hall and he was walking with some girl. Well, this girl had her arm around his neck. You know what Katie said to him? "Hey Devon! What are doing with that cheap scarf around your neck?!!" And then she just walked off! LOL I'm still laughing!

Family Picture

Here's Ryan, Audrey, and Dakota--their first family picture. She looks just like he did when he was a baby. I've probably said that before, haven't I?! lol Dakota is teething, so she's slobbering all over the place. You should see her shirt in the other pictures! LOL They kind of camouflaged it in this one. lol If you look real close, she's drooling down her chin, and she slimed Audrey's hand! lol That's the price you pay for getting teeth, I guess. lol Denny is off tomorrow, so we're going over there to pick up our picture of just her. She's at such a fun age now. I talked to Ryan for a minute tonight, and he said she was kneeling in front of their old turntable, turning the knobs, watching the lights and growling at it! LOL She's a funny kid! :)

October's Recipe

Here's this month's recipe page for my swap--Pork Tenderloin with Roasted Vegetables. I cheated and used the pic that was in the book, but I have made this dish many times, and it is de-lish! It was actually in a diabetic cookbook. If anyone wants the recipe, let me know and I'll pass it on to you. The ingredients and directions are underneath the pic. All you have to do is lift it up. The orange CS is scored, so it can be lifted. That's why it looks like there's so much space. I actually did put a row of bling up there on mine. That ribbon looks pretty pink, doesn't it? I was hoping it would take on more of an orange look. But it's staying--I'm not doing it again! lol Now I have to start thinking about next month's catagory, which is casseroles. That one should be a snap! :)

Kelsea's Float

This is Kelsea's float for the O'Fest parade on Sat. I was hoping she'd be facing us, but Libby's boyfriend put the bale of hay they're sitting on too close to one side. The wrong side, naturally! lol Poor Jerry--he tried! :) I'm just glad she heard me yell at her so I could get a pic of her! The kids had a lot of fun, riding down Main St. and throwing candy to the crowd. Now I have to get busy and get Katie's and Jacob's pics up!

How do you like this kit? It's by Faith Guarin. It was another digi freebie. Since I'm learning this digi scrapping stuff, I'm very thankful to these talented people for making their kits available for free. It's sure a nice way to practice!

Octoberfest

I was playing around with a digi kit I got from Melissa Bennett, (thanks Melissa!), and this is what I came up with. I love it! The colors are so rich and the papers are just beautiful! Her kit was a freebie, and it was full of tons of ribbons, buttons, brads, etc. I don't use a lot of embellies when I paper scrap, and the same holds true here. But I could have if I wanted to, there was so much! The possibilities with this kit is endless, so don't be surprised if you see it again! And I tried something new--drop shadows. What do you think? I didn't do them on the letters, tho. I was having a problem anyway just getting the letters on there, so I didn't think of drop shadows! lol

And look at Dakota! She just gets cuter every day! This was taken at the Octoberfest parade last Saturday. She was just in awe of it all! Katie, Kelsea, and Jacob were all in the parade. I tried posting pics of it last night, but Blogger was giving me a hard time. Katie marched in the Jr. High Band, Kelsea and a couple of friends had their own little float, and Jacob was in the Boy Scout float, which won first place! Go Jacob! They all had fun! Afterwards, they went to the park where the limited festivities were. Libby worked the Boy Scout booth selling pop and hot dogs, etc, and they raised $1100. OK... I may be wrong on that figure, but I could have sworn that's what she said. I'll get back to you on that one. That's a lot of hot dogs! So all in all, it was a great Octoberfest!

5 Weird Things About Me

Cindy tagged me for this. Thanks, Cindy! LOL Well, let's see....

1--I balance my checkbook to the penny. I'll look for hours to find it if I'm off by even one cent!

2--I don't like anybody's driving but my own. Not that I'm that great, either!

3--My pointer fingers aren't straight. I may be pointing to the north, but my fingers are heading toward the west.

4--I've got Fred Flintstone feet--big and wide. These puppies will fit in a full sized Kleenex box!

5--I don't like chocolate cake or ice cream, but I love milk chocolate candy.


I'm sure Denny could probably come up with 100 weird things about me, but that's all I've got! lol Now I tag anyone else who hasn't done this on their blog!

Bummer! I Didn't Win!

Here's my gang! There's Kelsea, Dakota, Katie, and Jacob. I told you I had more grandkids than just Dakota! lol This is the first time that they've all been in one place so I could get some pics of them. Last year when the kids got their school pics done, I told them not to buy them, 'cause they always turn out so crappy. I took them to WM and had their pics done, and they really turned out nice. They want to do the same thing this year. So I'll have the oldest ones get their single shots, and then we'll do a group pic of all 4 of them. I think that will be my Christmas present to me! lol

This Sat. is Octoberfest down here in SE MO. It's not like the O'Fest I went to in OR--or probably anywhere else, for that matter. We have a little parade downtown, and it's mostly Biblical floats, beauty pagent queens, and scout troups! lol It's a nice little parade, tho. The local candidates show up and throw out candy to the kids, so they're scrambling to pick it up. Very Americana. Katie will be in the marching band, Kelsea is supposed to decorate her bike and ride it in the parade (they'll judge the bikes later at the park), and Jacob's Boy Scout troup will ride on a float in the parade. So I'll be there with camera in hand! After the parade is over, everyone goes down to the park. There are some food booths, a few crafts, and sometimes a band or two playing. But NO BEER TENTS! We're in the Bible Belt and stuff like that just doesn't fly! I wouldn't drink anyway--anymore! lol But it just kind of cracks me up! lol

I won't be joining in park festivities, tho. As soon as the parade is over, I'm going to the cancer crop. It's the 12 hour crop-a-thon my lss is sponsoring. There'll be about 108 croppers! It cost us $25, but 100% of that is being donated to the Susan G. Komen Foundation. What a deal, huh? We'll all get pink T-shirts, and who knows what else. The lss has been out soliciting donations for weeks now, so there should be plenty of neat give-aways! I won't be working on any layouts, as usual. I'll be working on my projects. I've got a ton to do to get ready for the show I want to do this holiday!

OH, I forgot to tell ya....I didn't win! Boo hoo for me! lol You know how it goes, tho. You don't really expect to--you hope to. But that's alright--I love the projects I made, and I stand behind them. So much so, that I'm going to make more for my holiday show! :) You can check out for yourself the winners.

So that's pretty much it for now. I'll try to be back in a day or two, and show off Dakota some more. She's crawling now! Photo op for sure!