WHERE IS YOUR COMPUTER?

I thought I would share where our computer is set up in the "Former" (not formal) Dining Room! Remember last week when I rambled on and on about photographs all over my house? If you click on this picture, it'll enlarge it and you can see the photos on top of the roll top desk. On the right side is Dave's parents Wedding picture. Next to it is a picture I took Christmas 2004 of Dave and his Mom Kathy. I enlarged it and gave to him last year for our Anniversary. By the next Christmas Kathy had cancer.

BUBWIT

Unlike a dimwit, Charles (AKA The Bub) has a very witty sense of humor. Last night before I went to bed I reminded him,

A) Make sure to hang up all of his clean clothes that were waiting for him on the chair in the living room.

B) Choose and leave out the pumpkin carving template he had chosen so I could make a copy of it for him.

C) Give Squeegy the Amazing Cockatiel fresh food and water.

To which he responded,
"Would you like me to solve world hunger while I'm at it"?

He always gives me a good chuckle!

MY WEEKEND

This was a really relaxed weekend. Saturday I ran a few errands and bought firewood while Dave ran down to the office for a few hours. Once I got home, I began wrapping the Christmas presents we'll be taking back to St Louis with us for Thanksgiving. I don't just slap a bow on my gifts, I like to use wired ribbon and picks or ornaments to embellish them. Dave gives me a hard time but they truly look beautiful. I want people to know that I care and that a lot of time and love went into not just buying them something but in making it as special as I can! So wrapping took me several hours. I only have 2 more items left to wrap but I haven't gotten them in the mail yet.

Yesterday we had church and then family bowling in the afternoon. We always have such a good time I wonder why we don't do it more often? I was planning a really nice turkey dinner but Dave was in the mood for pizza instead. Trust me, I didn't mind not spending a lot of time in the kitchen so we'll have turkey tonight.

Last night we watched the first 3 parts (on the 1st disc) of "From The Earth To The Moon" about NASA's manned space fight program. It was VERY good. I grew up in the generation where manned space flight was the standard America was striving for. It is amazing to think that in less than 20 years after the end of WW2, we had the technology to send men into space! As a kid, I remember some of the rocket launches aired on the evening news on our small black & white TV. It really was incomprehensible to me! However, I DO remember when Neil Armstrong landed on the moon. It is one of those definitive moments in a person' life like the 9/11 terrorist attack.


In the summer of 1969, Meine Mutti and I were in Ochsenfurt visiting Meine Omi. She had no television in her tiny 2 room apartment so we went downstairs to the landlord's apartment and watched it on their TV. I remember all of the cheering going on, maybe on their part because the Americans had beat the Russians in particuliar, who knows? I remember going outside and looking up at the moon, trying to see if I could spot anything out of place on its surface! I was almost 9 years old.

Fast forward, I remember the Space Suttle "Challenger" blowing up in January of 1986. I was affected deeply, probably because I had witnessed it live on television. We have become so accustomed to space travel that it doesn't seem anything unusual to us anymore! It has become a normal, every day activity. Even I catch myself watching the news and thinking,
"Oh yeah that's right, the space shuttle went up today."
No big deal, life as usual. However, in the 1960's people were riveted to any type of news of the space program and it's amazing to see the amount of detail that the producers of this HBO series have gone into to convey this snapshot of our nation's history.

I remember the Space Shuttle "Columbia" tragedy as I'm sure you do too. It blew up in re-entry over Texas and it actually shook our house when it did. I was sitting at the computer that Saturday morning and I remember running out into the street to see what was going on. No one else was up yet and slowly, the information began coming in over the computer while I was on. Debris from Columbia rained down over Texas, in particuliar just a couple of miles from our house, several houses in a subdivision had numerous, different-sized pieces of the spacecraft in their yards. As we went to dinner that night in Ft Worth with friends, the neon-lit highway signs were ablaze with the following message,
"REPORT SHUTTLE DEBRIS TO 1-800....."
It was surreal to say the least.

I am eager to watch more of this miniseries. It brings back a time in my life when we actually had heroes in this country. Not these overly-paid, cry-baby athletes or cele-brat-ies in and out of rehab who can't remember to wear underwear underneath their clothing, endless parade of crass and unclassy clods. Kids had someone they could look up to and admire back then, someone to emulate. Today you see rap stars that spew venom and hatred towards women or police officers as "heroes" for our kids. Heaven help us and I do mean that literally!

ONE TOUGH HOMBRE

If I were a burglar, I'd think twice about messing with this guy!!!

I'M IN HEAVEN...

I consider myself to be very blessed. Meine Mutti, although she was a single Mom (before she married Pop) and struggled financially, managed to save enough money for travels to Germany to see Meine Omi. I haven't been to Ochsenfurt since I was 13 but I have very detailed memories. Meine Omi was an industrious woman, scrubbing the cobblestone sidewalk in front of her house.



This is the Main Street in Ochsenfurt.











I remember her yanking off the feather beds in December, while we were still in the bed and then slinging them over the open window sill to air out. I remember going for walks after dinner with our final destination being the cemetery where Meine Opi was buried. I remember the 4 towers at the towns 4 corners where in days of old, the lookouts would watch for their enemies.




A model of the town with the 4 towers clearly visiable. Meine Omi lived next to the tower in the front left corner.







It is a very old town. The Rathaus here ( jail) was built in 1515. It has whimsical figures that move when the clock in the tower strikes the hour. The town Mayor waves the German flag, the skeleton jiggles around and 2 oxen (Ochsen) butt their heads together. The newer section was built just across the Main (pronounced mine) River.















Meine Omi didn't always live here. She moved here after Meine Opi died in 1965. When they refugeed from Aussig after the war, they settled in the small town of Grabenheim which is where my mother met my father when he was doing his tour of duty based in Friedburg. I have been to Grabenheim twice, the last time was in the months before Meine Opi died. Before the cancer made him too weak, we would all go for our wonderful walks in the pine woods nearby. Maybe that's a reason why I love the fragrance of Pine trees so much, it takes me back to a special time in my life.

I am proud of my heritage (obvious to anyone who has read my ramblings over time). My writing a Genealogy book, is a good fit for someone like me. If I could only get Meine Mutti to write of her experiences, not only for myself but for future generations, I'd be over the moon. Maybe I could get her a really nice bound journal for Christmas to motivate her. That's not likely because I have found out in the course of my life, all 47 years of it, she is one stubborn Kraut! If she doesn't want to do something, no power on earth is going to make her do it!!!

Several years ago I read an article in the Dallas Morning News about Oktoberfest and they spotlighted a few German restaurants, etc. To my sheer delight I found out about the German Deli store. I took Meine Mutti with me the first time I went. She was in town and I thought it would be fun. She chatted endlessly with Inga the owner, in German and posted a red push pin on the giant wall map of Germany to indicate Grabenheim where she had grown up. I love to go to the German Deli store because they sell memories. This time of year the Liebkuchen starts arriving. Delectable little spice cakes either plain or with Dark Chocolate covering, some have fruit filling like plums, heavenly to say the least. When I was young, Meine Omi would include an Advent Calendar as well as Liebkuchen in her "Care" packages to us. A long time ago, I incorporated Liebkuchen in my Christmas traditions. I put out a large assortment, everyone has their favorite kind, we have hot chocolate and decorate the tree, listening to Christmas music. I'm considering buying myself a CD of Christmas music sung in German, that would REALLY bring back the memories! We also hide the pickle ornament and the child that manages to find the ornament on Christmas morning gets an extra treat. She would also include the GOOD European chocolate which to this day has spoiled me forever on any of this processed American junk-Blech! I have discriminating taste regarding chocolate! Geschmekt! (pronounced Ga-shmekd and it means YUMMY!)


















Now I see from my e-mail update this morning that they are carrying Broetchen (pronounced braid-chen). Oh my goodness! These are hard rolls that taste divine! I remember running errands with Meine Omi to the butcher and elsewhere but always, the last stop was the bakery. We'd bring these rolls home, still warm and we'd slather on the real butter and revel in some kind of ecstacy. (I'm beginning to drool all over my keyboard.) The best way to eat broetchen is to use them for sandwiches. First you smear on a layer of butter, the butter helps to bring out the flavor of the bread, cheese and meat. Then you put on your favorite toppings, personally, I like Fleischsalat (pronounced Flysh-saladt) it's a meat salad.


















I am off work today so I think I'll take a little drive down there and see what they have. I'm heading home for Thanksgiving in a couple of weeks and maybe I'll bring back a little something for Meine Mutti.

Now excuse me please, while I go wipe my mouth...

LAURA LOU

Yesterday Laura Lou went to KOHL's with me since I wanted to spend my "free" bucks. I got her this cute jumper for work at her job at Victoria's Secret.

She looked so beautiful in this dress I had to buy it for her! I told her that her boyfriend has to take her out to a Christmas Party so she can wear it!

AWARD WINNING PUMPKIN BUTTER!

I retired my Pumpkin Butter from competition after reaching the pinnacle of success. In 1996 I took first place at the State Fair of Texas and it was published in the State Fair Cookbook!


Pumpkin Butter essentials.

Jars are prepped and ready to fill.

Cooked to perfection.

Filling the jars.

Ready to lower the jars into the Boiling Water Bath Canner.

The first dozen jars are done!









CONNIE'S PUMPKIN BUTTER
2 cans Pumpkin
1 box of Sure-Jell
1Tbls Pumpkin Pie Spice
4 1/2 cups sugar

Combine pumpkin, spice and Sure-Jell thoroughly in large microwavable dish. Cook covered for 5 minutes. Stir well, cook additional 5 minutes. Remove from microwave and stir in sugar until thoroughly mixed in, it will become runny. Cook covered for 5 minutes, stir well, cover and cook for 6 minutes.

In the meantime, have jars prepped and ready, the canner heated to boiling. Spoon mixture into jars and process for 10 minutes.

I double this recipe and it makes 13 1/2 pint jars. I make this for our family but also to hand out with the Christmas Cookie trays I make at Christmastime. This is wonderful served on toast or cinnamon raisin bagels etc.

MY HUBBY

The other day I posted that his duffle bag made an unscheduled trip to Newark, New Jersey. It returned to Dallas the next day on the 8 AM (arrival) flight and after not hearing from American Airlines, he called to see about its status. Of course you have to jump through hoops and perform some sort of human sacrifice to the telephone gods in order to speak with a real-live hunman "bean". The prompts told him his luggage would be delivered within a 6 hour window, Monday. After said window had expired, he performed the ritual all over again, finally getting a live human "bean" who told him it would be there within 45 minutes. It arrived safely, contents intact around 4:30 PM. After unpacking his stuff, he hands me a box and tells me that he brought back a souvenir for me from California. If I had known that he was bringing me something, I'd have been more anxious about his bag getting here! I have several of the "Bearfoots" figurines on my sofa table that holds the outdoorsy photos. He added a 4 bear set, each holding up the letters to spell NOEL. Or like I told someone, you could spell out LEON or LONE if you were feeling ornery.


Later on, we decided to go to the movies and see "Michael Clayton" starring George Clooney. He liked it, I thought it was boring. Seldom does that happen where we disagree on a movie but this was one of those rare times. The moon must've been orbiting the Earth with Mercury rising and Jupiter setting!

After we got home he said to me,
"What is that smell?"
I said,
"I have air freshners in the living room, is it this one?"
I held up the new air diffuser I bought at KOHL's last week to round up my purchases in order to get my "free" KOHL's bucks.
He said,
"What is that?"
"Pumpkin Bread, do you like it?"
Says I.
"It smells like someone's dirty socks!!!"
So much for that, I guess I'll pack it away and see if I can find something better for his Male-nose!

PUMPKIN PATCHING WITH GIGI

Jelly Bean waits for the train to take us out to the pumpkin patch.

She liked the train a lot!! It doesn't hurt that Grampy works for the railroad!

One of the displays viewed from the train.

In one of the bouncy houses.

Brave little Jelly Bean next to the graveyard!

We went to Mickey D's for lunch afterwards where she played some more!

That evening we made cookies for Halloween!

TODAY

I have no news on Tyler Johnson's condition but today is the funeral services for 2 year-old Logan and 5 year-old Ashley Johnson, in Arkansas. Please pray for Spc. John and his wife Lisa Johnson as they face the challenges of today as well as Tyler's hospital stay here in Dallas.

PLEASE PRAY!

Here's a story I just read about in the Dallas Morning News that turned my prayers to heaven. Please keep this soldier and his wife in your prayers!

IT'S FINALLY FALL! (at least for now)

A front moved through around 1 AM (I know this because I had to close the windows) ushering in rain and cooler temperatures! I am so happy I could skip. Well, maybe after I've had a little more coffee I'll THINK about skipping! It was a busy weekend to be sure. I'll post pictures later from "GIGI & Me Day" I had with Jelly Bean on Saturday. Yesterday was an amazing Praise & Worship time at church, I just loved it. It was what my soul was desperate for!

Jessica got free tickets once again, for the Cowboys vs Vikings game, so Charles got to go to the game. He was a happy camper.

I was a happy camper because my beloved was getting in from California at 7:20 last night. His plane landed 10 minutes early but I didn't see him until 8:15. They sent his luggage to Newark, NJ!!! That means work shoes, camera lenses, shaving kit etc are MIA! He's working from home today and his luggage should be delivered sometime today.

Ahhh...Fall is here, hopefully to stay!

I DON'T WANT TO WORK...

I had yesterday off and it was a really nice day. I spent a couple of hours working in the yard raking and bagging pine needles, planting my mums, cutting the grass, weed whacking, sweeping along with trimming the rose bushes and the crepe myrtle tree. After my shower I ran out to do some Christmas shopping in flip-flops and a sleeveless sun dress!

I got a great deal on Miss Aly-Cat's Christmas gift and wish I could show it to Dave right away so that I can wrap it up! He won't be back until Sunday evening though so I have to wait. I picked up some adorable mini Christmas ornaments at Hobby Lobby to embellish my wrapped gifts. I ordered POP's Christmas gift yesterday and only have a couple of things left to get for Meine Mutti. While I was at Hobby Lobby I bought an adorable antique looking frame for her. I decided that I was going to put a picture of her Mutti in it. My grandmother, Meine Omi was only in her 20's and looks so young and fresh faced, it's a lovely photo. I think Meine Mutti will really like it. Meine Mutti has a lot of photos but she's pretty unstructured with them. She puts them up in the barrister bookcase or tucks them away here and there. Soon other loose photos begin to overlap, hiding them from view. I have a soft spot for family photos.

In our bedroom is an old sewing machine. I got it at an antique store in Illinois many years ago for a great price. It has the treadle which reminds me of my maternal grandmother, Meine Omi's machine. That woman was an expert seamstress as well as doing needlework, making lace etc. I have a lot of my old photos of family members, in antique looking frames placed on it. The very center photo, (if you click on the photo to enlarge it) is of Meine Omi and Meine Mutti, taken before the Russian Occupation during WW2. I love to stop and look at it nearly every time I pass by. I have photos displayed all over the house. There are Dave's photos that have been enlarged, pics of grandkids on the jelly cabinet which holds all of the movies, there is a wall gallery in the hallway as well as some on top of the bookcases. I have a sofa table which holds some of my favorite "outdoorsy" family photos in rustic frames. I just looked up from the computer screen and saw that there are photos on top of the roll-top desk that I had forgotten about!




So yeah, I'm not in the mood to work today. I'd rather stay home, waxing nostalgic while work on the genealogy book. Tonight is our Life Group and I'm flying solo. Tomorrow morning I'm hooking up with Jessica and getting my little Jelly Bean from her. We're going to go to the Pumpkin Patch and maybe make some cookies afterwards. I think I'll cheat and stop by the store for the pre-made, rolled out sugar cookie dough. Either that or maybe we'll craft something. I haven't decided yet.

ANSWERS!!!

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is A MOSt reMARKable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to HonoluLU KEeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends...One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his JOHN boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banJO ELaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend JUDGES the JOB of solving this puzzle so involving, sHE BREWS a cup of tea to help her nervES. THERre will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fACT. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a JAM. ESpecially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. TRUTHfully, fROM ANSwers we get, we are forced to admiT IT USually takes a minister or a scholar
tO SEE some of theM AT THE Worst. Research has shown that something in our GENES ISresponsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta PHI LEMONade booth set a new record. The local paper, The CHRONICLE, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As DANIEL HumaNA HUMbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." THOSE Able to find all of them will hear great LAMENTATIONS from those who have to be shown. One REVELATION that may help is that books like TIMOTHY and SAMUEL may occur without their NUMBERS. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are norMAL. A CHIipper attitude will help you
comPETE Really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad EXODUS, there really are 30 books of the Bible lurKING Somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Note: Osee is a variant spelling of Hosea.

GOINGS ON

WOW, y'all are either lazy or busy. 2 comments on the Bible Challenge! I will wait until this evening and then I'll post the answers.

Yesterday morning I took my beloved to the airport so he could fly out to California. He has to call on his guys out there and will be done Friday afternoon. He is going to drive to Yosemite for the day on Saturday, do some photography and then come home on Sunday. If we could justify the cost of a plane ticket for one day of fun, I'd be with him!

I had a house to clean yesterday and then went to Kohl's to pay off my charge. While there, I put some more stuff right back on it! Granted, some of it was Christmas shopping and some was clearance clothing for grandkids birthdays and some of it was "useless fluff" to get me up high enough to get my "Kohl's Bucks". (They give you $10 for eery $50 you spend). They had nice flannel sheets on sale for a really good price but they didn't have a King-Size set out on display. I'll check back on Friday and get them if they're in by then, buy a couple more Christmas items and get me another $10!

I'm really glad I don't have a house to clean today. My own house and yard needs some attention! I plan on doing some yard work (raking up pine needles, mowing, trimming and planting my mums) and then finish canning the last 2 batches of Pumpkin Butter.

I mentioned that I have gotten a couple of Christmas presents already so now I am getting in the mood for Christmas! I almost feel like putting on Christmas music, almost. Granted, I'm still running the Air Conditioner but I'm hoping to turn it off by the end of the month. Keep your fingers crossed (Well, maybe your toes and your eyes too while you're at it!) I got some more wired rbbon at COSTCO the other day and can't wait to start wrapping the presents. I will use a lot of plain brown wrapping paper this year tied up with the ribbon and maybe a slight embellishment to complete it. I like to be done with my shopping by Thanksgiving so that I can focus on what's most important as we get closer to Christmas. We usually take presents back with us at Thanksgiving so I don't have to contend with shipping them. I am one of those "planner people", I like to be organized and un-rushed. This year I will probably get my Christmas Cards out by the first weekend in December. I used to wait to make sure I caught everyone but this year, I'll get them out and then just do the occasional "missed" card as it comes in.

I need to coordinate with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law about the Thanksgiving Day menu, which will soon be upon us. It's easier to cook at their house and leave it there for the holiday then to cook at my father-in-law's house and drag it over. I really don't know how my late mother-in-law put up with her kitchen for all of those years. There are no upper or lower cabinets which means NO counter surface to prepare on. She only had those old metal upright cabinets for everything. It truly is a pain to cook at their house! I like cooking in my own kitchen with all of my surface space, my 'good" knives, cutting boards, etc. Even though it's a good sized kitchen, I would like it to be bigger with a much bigger pantry! One of the things that is on my list for when we build at retirement.

I've finished my final cup of coffee. It's not hazelnut but pumpkin spice creamer and it VERY yummy! I'm going to go make the bed and get dressed before getting Charles up for school. Have a great day today! Check back later for the answers!

BIBLE CHALLENGE

The other night in our Life Group, one of the men handed out a sheet with this on it. I will post the answers on Thursday! Tell me if you found them and how long it took you! This should be fun! For the record, I found 19 in 20 minutes!


Can you find thirty (30) books of the Bible in this paragraph? Actually, there are 31 if you can find the variant of one Old Testament prophet's name.

There are 30 books of the Bible in this paragraph. Can you find them? This is a most remarkable puzzle. It was found by a gentleman in an airplane seat pocket, on a flight from Los Angeles to Honolulu, keeping him occupied for hours. He enjoyed it so much, he passed it on to some friends. One friend from Illinois worked on this while fishing from his john boat. Another friend studied it while playing his banjo. Elaine Taylor, a columnist friend, was so intrigued by it she mentioned it in her weekly newspaper column. Another friend judges the job of solving this puzzle so involving, she brews a cup of tea to help her nerves. There will be some names that are really easy to spot. That's a fact. Some people, however, will soon find themselves in a jam, especially since the book names are not necessarily capitalized. Truthfully, from answers we get, we are forced to admit it usually takes a minister or a scholar to see some of them at the worst. Research has shown that something in our genes is responsible for the difficulty we have in seeing the books in this paragraph. During a recent fund raising event, which featured this puzzle, the Alpha Delta Phi lemonade booth set a new record. The local paper, The Chronicle, surveyed over 200 patrons who reported that this puzzle was one of the most difficult they had ever seen. As Daniel Humana humbly puts it, "The books are all right here in plain view hidden from sight." Those able to find all of them will hear great lamentations from those who have to be shown. One revelation that may help is that books like Timothy and Samuel may occur without their numbers. Also, keep in mind, that punctuation and spaces in the middle are normal. A chipper attitude will help you compete really well against those who claim to know the answers. Remember, there is no need for a mad exodus; there really are 30 books of the Bible lurking somewhere in this paragraph waiting to be found. God Bless.

Give up?

TRANSFORMERS IS COMING TO DVD!!!

One of the best movies (IMO) from this year!

CHARLES TURNS 17!

So, yesterday my baby turned 17! It's hard to believe that 17 years could pass so quickly and that he is nearly a man now! After our family celebration, he had a lot of friends come over last night to hang out. By evening's end, once the girls had all gone home, we had seven, 16 & 17 year olds camped out over night in our living room. Some stayed up until 7 this morning while a few others "only" lasted until 5 AM. What were they doing? Playing HALO 3 of course! When I got up this morning there were boys, lying all over like slugs! I stayed home from church this morning and made them a breakfast of Blueberry Pancakes, Scrambled Eggs with Cheese, Bacon and Orange Juice. The last one left about 20 minutes ago.

I have a disclaimer on the following pictures. I LOATHE Charlie's hair length right now. I like it when he's wearing it in his usual faux-hawk where you can see his beautiful blue eyes. However, he is wanting a change and I am a wise enough, seasoned, veteran mother who knows when to pick her battles. Given that he's an outstanding kid and a pure joy to raise, this is small potatoes. This is my favorite look of his!






The scruffy look! BLECH!



Timeless wisdom from Uncle Perry is written on his birthday card!


Two of the most important men in my life! My beloved and my only son.


Laura Lou and her baby brother!

Make a wish! May they all come true!

GEE IT'S GOOD TO BE BACK HOME AGAIN...

I LOVE that John Denver song! He still is one of my favorite artisits to listen to! Right about now is where my kids begin to groan! I'll bet they could write pages about how many trips we've taken and they've had to listen to Mom's lame John Denver music when it was her turn to drive! Am I right?

We made it to St Charles on Friday in a little over 10 hours! With just the 2 of us, our stops were more timely (Dinner in Tulsa, OK & gas in Joplin, MO). On Saturday morning we hooked up with Jennifer, Corey, Aly & Ashley. We met for breakfast and visited for a while! They happened to be in town that weekend also so it worked out perfectly!


This cutie-pie has the most beautiful eyes I have ever seen on a child!

Ashley opens her Halloween goodie bag from Grampy & I.


Aly with her Grampy.



Aly & I!


After breakfast I took Dave back to his dad's so he could spend some time with him. I stopped and got my Mom a HUGE pot of mums and went out to see my folks. I had a wonderful visit and my Mom looks great! She asked me to thank all of you for praying for her. Danke Schoen! Here's a picture of Meine Mutti & I.

After I left my folks house, I went over to my brother-in-law and sister-in-law's house where he had pizza, watched a movie (we bought up "The Ultimate Gift") and reminisced about our vacation.

Sunday morning Dave & I went to breakfast since his Dad is a late riser. Later on, we went over to Charlie & Brenda's, taking my father-in-law with us. We sat around and talked, played cards for a few hours and ate pizza. You could tell that he had a wonderful time! He doesn't have a lot going on in his daily life so he thoroughly enjoyed himself and we enjoyed his company too!

Monday morning we left for Kansas City around 5:30. I dropped Dave off at the Railyard and with a map of KC in hand, decided to go see what I could find. I thought that I would go to Indian Hills Shopping Center since it was nearby. Once I drove past it I realized I wasn't in a very good neighborhood. I decided to keep going where my intuition seemed to be dead on. I passed a gas station where there were 2 police cars, 3 policemen with rifles drawn over a man lying face down on the ground! Keep driving, make sure doors are locked, do NOT make eye contact!!!!!

Slowly, I realized that by heading west, I would be near the big Cabela's store and Wolf Lodge that I went to the last time (June 2005) I was in KC with Dave! Sure enough, I ran right into it! I spent over 2 hours at Cabela's going through every article of clothing in the Bargain Cave (found me a tee-shirt) as well as scoping out the remainder of the store. I had a Bison Bratwurst for lunch at their grill upstairs and then went to the Wolf Lodge next door. I went through their gift shop and wandered around inside for awhile. There was a mall close by so I went there and found some OU stuff for Charlie for his birthday and before long, I had to leave so I could pick up Dave at 3 PM.

That evening we went out to dinner and then watched the Cowboys on Monday Night Football. (Still don't know how they managed to pull off that win!) We hit the road yesterday morning by 6:30 and was home by 2PM!

We had a wonderful getaway and decided that the next time he has to work in KC like that, we're going to do this again!

QUICK POST

Checking in, the drive went well on Friday. Yesterday we got to see Jennifer and her family, I visited with my folks as well as with Dave's brother Perry and his wife Peggy, our vacation buddies from this summer. Today (Sunday) we're hanging out with my father-in-law and we'll play some cards later on with him. Tomorrow morning we're driving to Kansas City for Dave's work. I still need to figure out what I'm doing in my spare time. Right now I'm clueless. Heading home to Texas on Tuesday but right now I need to get dressed since we're going to run and get some breakfast! I'll post some pictures once I'm home.

ROLLIN' DOWN THE HIGHWAY

I'm drawing a blank on what Rock Group from the 70's sang that song? It'll come to me, wait for it...I got nothin'!

Got my list and checking it more than twice since the old brain ain't what it used to be. I got the laundry all done, I still need to pack, I finished putting all of the pictures into the scrapbook (still need to do the journaling though), a few more odds and ends kind of stuff and I'll be ready.

Last night, I had to pick up Charlie after school (7:30PM) since he stays late on Tuesdays and Thursdays for AP Chemistry Study Hall, he gets mad if I call it tutoring, he thinks it makes him sound dumb. After that, Dave & I ran up to Best Buy and bought "The War" out on DVD! Remember that $50 Best Buy gift card I found? Yup, that came in handy!


This afternoon we're hitting the road for a quick weekend getaway. I will be back on Wednesday morning. Y'all don't get into too much trouble while I'm away!

I think the answer is the Doobie Brothers!

GREETINGS FROM BLOGVILLE

I've been cruising my usual house calls and it's pretty busy out there for all of you as well. Sometimes, when I'm really busy I'm actually relieved that you all are too! Less for me to play catch up on!

I'm thinking about the things that I have to do today and tomorrow for going out of town. I told my beoved that I am still busy whether we leave for 2 days or 2 weeks. There are certain things that I still have to do. Laundry, grocery shopping for the kids, washing towels and sheets, stopping the newspaper and so on... Trying to plan ahead and anticipate. Do I have enough bird food still? Things like that. On top of that I've been working as well. I have a house today and then I'm off until next Wed. Yippee!

Charlie's 17th birthday is in 9 more days and I have to start thinking about that as well. I contacted the school and Driver's Ed is full. He would have to wait until March! He really would rather Dave teach him instead of school. I don't know if I'd want Dave teaching ME how to drive but that's his preference! I'll bring it up on the 10-11 hour car ride tomorrow!.




I'm going to bring my crocheting and my "River of Doubt" book that I still haven't gotten past chapter one on! I ordered a coffee table book for myself for my birthday which arrived yesterday. One of my favorite movies of all time is "Lonesome Dove". Robert Duvall in my opinion, is one of the best actors out there today! These young gals that swoon over the likes of Orlando Bloom and others don't know what a REAL actor is! They're just going on looks alone! I digress... The book is filled with still photographs from the movie. It was just printed and released. The only problem is that 2 of the pages weren't cut properly and the corner is folded inward. I thought to myself that I could just cut the pages myself and trim off the excess flap but there's a crease in the picture on the back side. So, I will contact them and send it back to replace. I will bring it back with me though to show my brother-in-law and sister-in-law before I do.


I always have these lofty ideas of making cookies or such before we go on a trip. I usually run out of time and figure I'll be stressed out if I try and cram it in. So I do nothing. I've been wanting to make some cookies and truffles but quite frankly, by the time I get home from work, make a nice dinner, clean up from said dinner, I don't want to make another mess in the kitchen. However, tonight is leftovers so maybe I'll make something after all. I have thought about making up a batch of Toll House Cookie dough, rolling it into balls, freezing individually and throwing it in a zip-loc bag and tossing it into the freezer, then, when I'm in the mood for GOOD cookies, pop those babies into the oven!

Yesterday morning I helped Charlie with his AP Chemistry project. They had to research a food item, make up flyers and do a projecty with the food item. He and I had an assembly line going of Breakfast Burritos! He cooked the eggs, 6 at a time and then I wrapped up the tortillas, cut them in half and packaged them in the foil wrapping. While I was doing that, he was cleaning up the skillet, spraying it down and starting all over again. i sent him to school with my Pyrex Portable with the heat pad inside of it that you microwave and for first block, they all had breakfast! The teacher, he said, was pleased! I thought about photographing it and posting the pictures here but it was too hectic trying to get it all done and get out of here by 8AM!

In the evenings, before "The War" came on, I was working a few minutes here and there scrapbooking. I only have a couple of pages left and then all of the pictures are in the book. Then, I have to go back and do the journaling, I did about a third of it as I was doing the pictures. I decided to get the photos done that way I can put up all of my supplies and clear out my kitchen once again. Oh how I would love to have my own scrapbooking room! To have a space to call strictly my own, spread all of my stuff around and pop in whenever I feel like it, sit down and work! Usually, when I'm in the mood, by the time I get all of my supplies out, put up the card table and organize my photos, it's time to make dinner or do laundry or some other nonsense! I think when we retire and build our cabin I want a room for my very own! Yup, that settles it!

Well, it's time for another cup of hazelnut coffe and to go over my daytimer for the day. Until next time...

JUST STUFF...

It's been a pretty busy time but then when isn't it? After Jelly Bean got picked up on Saturday, Jessica & Steven drove out to Gabriella's soccer game in Wichita Falls. I am posting these pictures of her and Jelly Bean, who is obviously her biggest cheerleader!

Dave took me to the movies later that afternoon. I asked him what he was wanting to see and I was told, "It's a surprise". I resisted the temptation to look in the newspaper at what was playing at that specific theatre, it's one of those
"specialty" theaters that only shows limited release films. While he was in line getting our tickets I'm looking at the movie titles. The only one that seemed like it would be our kind of movie was, "Into The Wild". I thought to myself,
"That sounds familiar?"
When I asked him what we were seeing he showed me the tickets and sure enough, that was the movie! At that instant, it hit me! I read the book last year!!!! It's the story of a young man who after college graduation, gives his savings to the poor and takes off on a search to find himself. His ultimate destination is Alaska to live off of the land and it tells of his journey over 2 years to finally get there. I don't particuliarly care for Sean Penn's politics but he did a fabulous job with the movie. It's almost dead-on with the book!


On Sunday we had church and then in the afternoon, I took one of my best friends to a FAITH Jewelry Open House. We got some fun stuff and had a nice time!

Yesterday I was able to get Laura Lou in at 9:30 to the doctor and myself at 4PM. She's been sick since last Wed and after testing her for strep, mono and doing a white blood cell count, the bad news is it's the viral flu. The good news is that she should be coming out of it soon. He prescribed a pain reliever for her persistent headache and some stuff for her nausea. For myself, he confirmed my suspicions, I have a sinus infection. I am on an anti-biotic, some prescription nose-spray, he gave me some samples of Clariton and special eye drops. From now on, when I suspect my allergies are kicking in, I need to take the Clariton right away to nip it in the bud before it escalates. I told him that the last time I was sick it took me 8 weeks to get over my "cold". It's highly unlikely that it was a cold because that should take 5-7 days to get over, even with my auto-immune disorder. It was probably a sinus infection and I had just resigned myself that I had to live with it. No more!

I am excited because this weekend we are driving to St Charles for a quick visit with Dave's Dad and my folks! Dave came up with the idea of travelling there because he has to be in Kansas City on Monday. We'll drive up Friday after he gets off, see my folks on Saturday, his dad on Sunday and then drive to KC. We'll drive back to Teaxs on Tuesday. I'll even get to see Jenn and her family for breakfast Sat morning before heading over to my folks!!!!

Full day ahead, as usual. Signing off...

BNSF FAMILY FUN NIGHT!

On Friday, I picked up Jelly Bean from school and later that evening Dave & I took her down to Corporate Headquarter's for their Family Fun Night! We wore her out!