Conversations with the Giraffe

Snow

2007-01-31T18:08:00.000-08:00

AGAIN! Can you believe we are having more snow?

Sleet...........

2007-01-13T09:19:00.000-08:00

How frozen is your world?

Good Bye 2006

2006-12-31T20:34:00.000-08:00

Why oh why did I promise to stay up until the New Year.........it is passed my bed time :o)

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!!!!!!!!!

Fall has arrived

2006-11-08T17:00:00.000-08:00

How BEAUTIFUL THE TREES!!!!!

These trees are reddish on one side and yellow and green on the other. The bush by the house is red and in need of a drink. It was 80 degrees today so I hooked the hose back up and have had the water running for the last hour. We despertly need a good soaking rain in order for all of our crops/trees to make it thru the winter.

Hungry??

2006-11-08T16:41:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday C! How do ya like that awesome birthday hat? lol

We drove 150 miles to have lunch at Lamberts in Ozark. After eating too much we went to the best scrapbook store around.......just love the lss in Ozark.

We did not have time to on to Branson since we didn't have anyone to let the dogs out so we ate, shopped and then zipped on back home.

I just LOVE the food at Lamberts! I even had a roll throwed at me :o)

BURRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR

2006-10-09T09:45:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it is already COLD???? The throws have be freshly washed and C has put the electric blanket on the bed. It is only October.

Since I am on vacation I thought I would pull the fridg out and clean behind it. There was a spot of mold on the wall since the fridge had gotten pushed up to the wall. So I pulled out and bleach and started washing. Now I am so sick I can't finish cleaning the kitchen. Why do smells make me sick? I opened the window and turned on the attic fan..........now I am freezing :o)

Think I will take a nap..........................

FINALLY!

2006-09-04T14:37:00.000-07:00

I finally finished Amandas album. This sinus infection interferes with my creative side it seems.

I was only going to use one sheet of Basic Grey......just the front sheet. Well then I actually ended up doing almost every page with a BG print. Since Amanda loves color the BG just seemed to fit.

Now I have two birthday gifts to get finished, well one to finish and one to start. since I am giving MSC the soft MF box I started at CKC-Tulsa I need to find some soft papers in my stash. Not sure what the rest of it will end up looking like.

Pat has a birthday this week also. I need to make something for her. Probably won't be something big since I have such a limited amount of time. I will just have to go where the project leads.

So here are more pictures of the album I made for Amanda. Think she is gonna like it?

Oh to SING!

2006-08-29T18:15:00.000-07:00

I would absolutely love to SING well.............really WELL. If I could choose a talent that would be my talent of chose.

unfortunately I do not get to choose. I am of the feeling sometimes that I was not given the blessing of any talent.

I crochet some. I sew some. I play with paper some. I even stamp some. Not really good at any of it. *sigh*

I love looking at magazines. I love seeing other peoples talent. I absolutely love to listen to a fabulous singer.

Oh to SING! I would love to be able to stand at the front of my church and sing well. This is REALLY bad but I am actually kinda glad the folks on the pew in front of me at church is VeRy hard of hearing. It truly is a blessing for them and they don't even know it ;o)

I have another sinus infection. The ENT told me yesterday " you have a smoldering infection that is deeply seeded on both sides." How totally gross is that? Could he not have given me a nicer verbal picture? SMOLDERING?? That just sounds so unattractive. ON BOTH sides? Why? Of course this MUST be the reason I can't sing my way out of a paper bag. lol

Must admit the infection is making me feel sick to my tummy, cranky, and a bit of a witchey person. If I hurt anyone's feelings today I am sorry. I try not to advertise I am sick. Guess it might have been good information before I snapped someone's head off. But look on the bright side. They did NOT have to hear me

SING!!!!!

CKC Tulsa

2006-08-15T17:28:00.000-07:00

Was a blast. Here is a picture of one of my finished projects. Well not actually finished. We have a limited amount of time and product in a class so the back of the accordion album and the inside of the box are not completed.

The Melissa Frances papers are so soft and yummy. However, I do not know ONE PERSON that is soft. All my friends are BRIGHT AND BOLD. A couple of them are down right SPICY.

(MSC said she LOVED this box and little album! Her birthday is 9-1. So I plan on finishing it up and surprising her with it on her brithday. She is a soft and sweet person. 'bout the only one I know :o) )

My postcard arrived today!!

2006-08-07T16:56:00.000-07:00

Oh it is such a beauty! And guess where it is from.......Oh I was just soo very thrilled ..........Marseille, FRANCE!!

I sooo want to go to France! When I do I must see Marseille. Isn't this just beautiful.

I also collect cancelled postage. The stamp on the back of my post card will be so carefully removed, matted, and placed on a page with my gorges post card.

Plume THANK YOU SO VERY MUCH. I could not have wished for a better card!

:o)

2006-08-05T14:31:00.000-07:00

This lo did not come out the way I had planned. It is a lo of my daughters cat Tiger Lily aka Tiggie.

I love the blue of this Artic Frog paper. It matches all the blues in my den ;o) I had fun using my stamps.

what do you think?

Postcard from Around the world

2006-08-01T20:43:00.000-07:00

actually from Oklahoma. I almost forgot to post the picture of the card. Sorry it was not posted earlier. I will run uptown to get this in the mail.

Have a good evening!

~C~ is for cat

2006-08-01T16:20:00.000-07:00

Made this for Lindas birthday. She will put a picture of her cat in the circle.

Sweet Amanda Jane gave me a stack of chip board today. I was soooo happy she shared with me. Now to use it up :o)

Oklahoma is full of hot air again today. It was 102!! It is gonna get hotter before it gets cooler. Thank goodness we have air conditioning. I just might faint when I get my electric bill.

Weather guy said we are in an EXTREME drought and a HEAT WARNING. I water the shade garden with a soaker hose as so not to waste. This also helps some of the thirteen trees in our back yard. I need to figure out how to water the two in the front without running the hose across the side walk.

I did the above project for the "lo a day" on 2peas. I will make a tag album for Jennifer to post tomorrow as that is her last day at work. I certainly hope I can post one item most every day in August.

Have a great evening must get to scrappin'!

Found out why

2006-07-30T12:12:00.000-07:00

stuff is always missing from my purse. C's little kitty likes to remove stuff from my purse to play with.

There is a gap between the two incliners of the love seat and stuff if always falling under it. Usually my car keys or she will steal my glasses and drop them down between the cushions.

We had lunch with grandpa after church. He was in a good mood and C was just being silly.

For some reason she loves to show her food to everyone around, hence the silly comment.

She is such an attractive young lady. *sigh* Must admit she is fun.

Last picture of the day, my big dog, BaiLea.

Have a wonderful Sunday and great week :o)

I went to a new SB store

2006-07-27T18:31:00.000-07:00

It was a much anticipated trip. I had wanted to see this store for over a year. I was SO very disappointed. Don't know what I was expecting but certainly not what I saw. The store was broken up into tiny little rooms. Two people could not move around they had so many half empty displays. Mainly huge old units that took up too much room.

How on earth could they control inventory? I bet half their product walked out of the store without being paid for. Why do stores do this? It is not like this was an old house turned into a shop. It was an OLD shop. The building was built in the 40's or before.

Oh well. I won't be going back. Which is a good thing since it is out of way and hard to get to. I really wanted to like it.......

I went into M's also. I had the 40% off coupon Hobby Lobby sent me. I want the new card book but am too cheap to pay $20.00 for it. So I picked it up, LAST one in the store, went to the front to pay for it and guess what?!?!? They decided they would NOT accept my computer coupon. I asked the manager last time I was in the store if they would accept that coupon and they said they would. So I left the paper, book, and baby kit I was purchasing and walked out. I will spend my money at Hobby Lobby. Of course Hobby Lobby did not have book I wanted :-(

I also had a 40% off coupon for JoAnns. They did not have the book either. Maybe next trip to the City.

Course next trip is for CKC. I so want the new TT stamps. I have been saving. I truly wish I could fine a couple of hundred dollars to blow. But that is not going to happen. I need to use up the supplies I have been collecting the last couple of years. Therefore I am on a BUDGET!

I have devised a plan to make stuff with all my supplies and sell them. Christmas is just around the corner. I thought if I could make up some albums, I have several, I could make some extra cash. Problem is this small town is cheap when it comes to purchasing stuff. The only place I have to sell is at work. I do not want people to feel pressured and start avoiding me. I wish I had enough nerve to sell on e bay.

Jennifer W turned in her notice. Next Wednesday is her last day. She is going to work for the chamber in a town 40 miles from here. I will miss her smiling face. She helped me out after I had surgery last year and couldn't use my hand. Not many stepped up to the plate to help me out but JW did. I am making her a tag album and a neat purse out of an altoids tin. I am gonna miss her.

Sarah's baby shower was tonight. The cowboy boots I found for the baby were a big hit! I know they are from Colorado and not into the cowboy culture but that baby is being born in ranch/farm country. We have more cowboy/girls then skiers in Oklahoma :-) I hope she takes a picture of the baby in his diaper and cowboy boots. How cute will that be?

Tiffany is getting bigger and bigger. She and Jennifer are due in November. Jennifer had to be hospitalized last month for kidney stones. After her baby is born, 6 to 8 weeks after, she will have to go in to have to gall bladder removed. Doctors said she already passed the stone.

Looks like we could have some STORMs tonight. PLEASE come on rain! We need it so very badly. I watered the front lawn again. Some of the small towns down south of us are already conserving water. If it gets any closer I will stop watering. Having water for the animals is so much more important then my flowers :o( I hope it does not get that bad. Our farmers and ranchers are hurting. At least I live in town. Even if our water tastes so BAD my dog won't drink it. I have to buy bottled water for the dogs and cats to keep them hydrated cause our water reeks.

Time to start the laundry.............

I love flea markets

2006-07-22T19:03:00.000-07:00

but I absolutely hate garage sales! The closest flea market is over 60 miles away. So today I broke down and went to a few garage sales.

I found a treasure box. It was OLD. Smelled like an old book. Had the feel of an old leather book. A couple of places on the box looked like mold eaten by mold. Not in the best shape. So I bought it. It is red and I am NOT fond of red. It has "TREASURE BOX" impressed and old fashion scroll like impressions in a couple of the corners. I bought it for .50 cents. That's .49 cents too much :o)

I went out to the car this afternoon to bring in all my treasures from this morning. Since my hands were full I set some of the stuff in C's smoking chair on the patio. Unfortunately I left the box in the chair along with a couple of other things.

I let the dogs stay out longer today since it is only in the 80's and BaiLea loves to be outside when it is not sweltering hot. Magi will stay out if she is in the mood. They stayed out about 45 minutes before I went to bring them in.

Yep, one of the two of my lovely dogs decided mold smelled pretty good. So she took my brand new (to me) treasure box and tore it to pieces. The cutie pictured above is Magi. I am thinking she is the one that did it. However, it is my fault for leaving it laying around.

So now I am going to have to make a new treasure box.

One without the 'feel' of aged leather, the smell of old book, and the smudges of mold on mold. *sigh*

On a funny note our local (Tulsa) t.v. stations keep showing a man stealing a puppy from a pet store. The thief stuffs the puppy in his shorts! How gross are people? The puppy cost $1,600.00. Yes you read that correctly sixteen hundred dollars! Wonder if he now thinks that little bundle of white fur is worth prison time? I wonder how much dog and cat food could sixteen HUNDRED dollars buy.........people are just silly.

It has been a long day. For some reason I am sad today. Can't put my finger on it. Something in the back of my mind whirling around.

Have a good evening.........

Cold front arrived

2006-07-22T15:32:00.000-07:00

and baby it is a cooler outside. High in the 80s today. Can ya hear us woo hoo -ing ?

This is an old picture of Jai. She is being *helpful* as usual.

I pressure washed the front of the house. I wish the birds would find a different place to poo. C mowed the lawn. Our yard is so pretty when it is well groomed.

Gave Magi a bath. Now she smells fresh and clean instead of fritos.

Wish we were getting the rain Missouri is receiving. Rain without the problems that is :-).

I am going to have to take a nap..........

have a good day.

Wanna watch TV?

2006-07-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

This is my daughters kitty. This is the first time I ever caught her on top of the television. She stayed there all afternoon so I had to take her picture.

Hot today. I made out to the garden.......almost. Since we had rain twice this week I really did not need to water. However, the high winds blew down a BUNCH of limbs so they are just everywhere in the back. It is supposed to be 100 tomorrow so it will probably be next week before any of the limbs get picked up.

Time for sleep.

Have a wonderful nite.

We received our instructions today

2006-07-13T18:26:00.000-07:00

we are to wear Red, White, and Blue on Monday. Bob will call us as they approach the bank. We are to line up on the sidewalk facing Main with a flag that will be provided.

He was younger than my daughter. He was a husband, brother,son........

The majority of the town will be on Main with a flag. Businesses will close. The flags are already at half. The service will be HUGE. He is our towns' first fallen from this war.

No matter how hard I try every time I read about him or see his picture I think of Billy. Billy was so young. SO hansom, funny, sweet and loving and so very loved. He's the one that gave me my nick name all those years ago. He was a brother and a son. He never got the chance to be a husband.

I have often thought over the years what his kids would have been like had he had the chance to grow up. Billy had beautiful skin that tanned so easily. He loved the farm. He love animals. He loved his family.

He should have never had to go to war. He should have NEVER came home in a box. None of our men (boys) or women (girls) should. I know they go willingly and are very proud to serve. It is just so damn hard when they come home in a body bag!

Not sure if I can make it through the service Monday. The memories of all those years ago, the lose of Billy, haunt me. And yes I know it is NOT about me. I just don't want to cry like a fool. I can guarantee you I will.

He was so young.............

Do you know were I can get this stamp?

2006-07-07T18:39:00.000-07:00

I would love to find the crown on this picture.......is it a stamp?

I can't give artist credit as I do not have it.

HOTHOT*HOT 4th

2006-07-04T06:01:00.000-07:00

Went to Tulsa yesterday. My boss has a birthday this week so I had to find him a gift. I stopped at a couple of sb stores.

I wanted Basic Grey Oh Baby Girl elephant paper. Either the stores did not order the line in or the ones that did are sold out of the elephants (and most of the other papers in the line).

The sb store in Claremore doesn't carry this release. The sb store on 81 street is sold out so off to the store on 71. I really am not a fan of this store. Everything is sooo spread out even the workers do not know where stuff is located. However I was soooo very happy I stopped in.

Not only did I get my ELEPHANTs I also found some bargains. Everything in the store was 10% off and their clearance stuff was either .25 cents, .50 cents or a dollar!

For one buck I got some awesome stamps. A kitty on a snow board was my favorite. I also bought a couple of Flair designs "Album in a Flash" baby boy design for the expantant moms at the bank. These had been 7.99 each! Also bought a couple of .25 cent packs that contained some miscellaneous tags and stickers to use on cards. I just LOVE a bargain!

OH and I looked over a ladies shoulder ( don't ya just hate people that do this) as she was looking thru Stacy and friends card book. OH MY GOODNESS! I did not really get to look at it really well but WOW! Of course she bought it ........ the LAST one in the store.

The best by of the day was an 8 inch chipboard letter. I designed the album as I drove home. The plan is to clean off my sb table this morning and 'getter done'. Now let us see if I carry thru!

Did you know hidi swapp has clear stamps??? I didn't. While at the sb store in Claremore I found them and of course had to purchase some. The sb store on 81 had AWESOME Technique Tuesday stamps. I decided to waite until next month when the CKC is in Tulsa to purchase them since I have a coupon for a *free* set of stamps when I purchase five.........gotta love free. I also need a "set" of blocks for the clear stamps. Any recommendations?

I stopped at Quick Trip for a drink while shopping. I just heard on the news that store was robbed last night. At least the robber did not hurt anyone in the store. Hope the cops catch this guy as this is the second store the robber has hit.

It is gonna rain! Should be here tonight so it is gonna make some kids very unhappy. However we NEED the rain and maybe a good soak will cut down on the fires. I can certainly tell I am getting old since I am more concerned with the crops getting moisture more then the kids getting their kicks.

SAD news is developing here in our town. Broke my heart when I heard it on Fox news this morning. We won't get a paper today but I am sure it will be on the front page tomorrow. So very sad for the family. Our town will rally around them and support them..........but it will not make up for the loss.........

Have a blessed 4th and watch those fingers!

Oh my aching back!

2006-07-02T20:30:00.000-07:00

Probably won't get to garden to morrow......MY BACK HURTS!

I will never figure out way an old fat woman thinks she can move half the back yard in a day. I guess it is because

The earth calls me

I can hear it soon as I wake in the song of the birds
when I look at green grass or the deep brown of the soil
EVERY time I see a picture of flower

I absolutely love the feel of dirt in my hands. The smell of dirt......... I was so sad last year when I was unable to even pull a weed. Even tho my allergies are worse when I go out side........ gardening just makes my soul smile.

My hands hurt so badly tonight. I missed putting the bug spray (deet) on one of my elbows. Very bad! I have about twenty bug bites all around my elbow and WAY too many bites on my fingers. That'll teach me to be more careful.

I used up two more bags of mulch and a piece of a bag of potting soil. I transplanted a few plants to a safer area and finished weeding and mulching the garden by the walk. It looks sooooo pretty. Now when I head out to work I will be greeted with my pretty hostas instead of weeds.

That darn little squirrel that loves to pester the dogs is digging in the pine needle mulch! I could not figure out what was tearing up what I had just finished raking level. Came outside and there he was THROWING mulch over the fence! Too bad I can't paddle his fannie :o)

NO work for me tomorrow. I am on vacation!!!!! I am going to ask Magi if she will let me sleep late in the morning. We will see............

Have a blessed week.

15 minutes at a time

2006-07-01T20:48:00.000-07:00

I went outside around 4:00 and three hours later the garden looked MUCH better. I did not take pictures before I started pulling the weeds. The second picture is how this corner looked after I had pulled all the weeds.

I have watered this garden for about an hour for the last two days. After pulling most of the weeds I watered again today. On this bare spot I put down some newspaper, watered it in then added a layer of mulch. I think it came out looking pretty good.

I plan on just getting the weeds under control. This year is all about *recovery* not replacing all that has been lost. (keeping my fingers crossed I can stick to the plan) Next year I will purchase new plants to put in this bare corner. Right now the bird bath and other stuff I have in the garage will have to "fill" in.

What do you think? Looks MUCH better don't ya think? You can still see all the tall weeds thru the trees! My project for tomorrow............pulling weeds! Wanna come over and help :o)

It is a recovery situation

2006-07-01T20:16:00.000-07:00

Last year I had to watch my beautiful garden go back to the wild. The BIG dog sat on one part of my hosta garden and ended up killing everything in that whole corner. This past winter was so dry that I lost all of my big hostas and all of my ferns.

All I have is weeds :o( . I worked for HOURS each year getting the front of the garage looking nice. We had 13 trees in the back .........perfect for a shade garden and now look at it. You can barley see my ornamental grass among all the weeds.

The sticky weeds are almost as tall as I am! I told my daughter I was going to have to purchase some sharp nippers to cut them down. Guess what she brought home the night before last?! Yep a brand spankin new pair of pruning nippers!

The man that cut down the plum tree by my daughters room last month (someone planted it tooooo close to the house) told me the pretty vines growing up our persimmon trees were going to end up killing them. We have TWELVE of these trees in the back yard and the vines were growing on half of them.

So with new nippers in hand I was going to clip a few vines for about 15 minutes. I figure if I can work on the vines a little day I could be rid of them by the end of next week. Course I could not stop at 15 minutes. I cut all the small vines down but there is a huge vine on each tree that is as thick as my arm. I am gonna need a hatchet to get those cut. We also have all kinds of little trees growing all over the back especially in the fence line. So I walked around cutting them down. Now there is dead stuff laying all over the lawn.

By the end of next week things should start looking much better.

I made a "B"

2006-07-01T12:27:00.000-07:00

I took my mid-term this morning. I refused to "second" guess my answers so I did NOT reread the answers I marked. How DUMB was that? Two of the questions I missed I just flat out mis-marked the answer.............so if I had re read my answers I just *might* have caught that I had mis-marked the stupid answer AND I WOULD HAVE GOTTEN AN *A*. I soooooo hate making grades lower than I should. **sigh** lesson learned.

I am on vacation! I have a list two miles long that I want to complete. So what am I doing? I am sitting here watching a movie made in 1995. Half the actors in this movie were on the West Wing. It is too hat out side to work so here I sit watching old movies.

Gotta love the lazy! :o)

EEEEWWWWWWWW!

2006-06-26T14:52:00.000-07:00

I went to the hospital at 3:15 today. They came in with needles and "stuff". They numbed up my thigh. The doctor cut a 'HUGE' chunk of my thigh and then stitched it up. The 'chunk' is on its way for a biopsy. I return in two weeks to have the stitches removed. ick! I absolutely hate needles and scalpels. I am such a big baby.

On a bright note my daughter is in charge of supper. I have to keep my leg elevated this eve and stay off it since it went into the muscle. So I get to sit here and play on the 'puter and get waited on .... Once she gets home that is.

My mid term is Friday. I am re doing the quizzes to see how much information I am retaining in my ol'brain. Chapter two was soooo packed with information I did not think I could retain it all. I made a 90 on the quiz! woo hoo! I am pumped. Bad thing about classes that only have two test is you HAVE to do really well on both in order to get an A in the class.

Received an e mail from an on line friend today before I left work. That made me smile and helped me be less nervous.

Drinking my Sonic Route 44 Lemon Berry slush. LOVE to drink lemon berry sluch on HOT days. Not really hot today but them people used needles on me. I deserve this slush. I will get back on track tomorrow.

Have a wonderful week.

Well it is over.......

2006-06-25T18:28:00.000-07:00

I went into work at ten and off at six. This was my last day. My week ends are once again my own. What will I do with myself?!?!?! ;o)

Was an alright day. I need to get some laundry done this evening and of course run the vacuum.

On a hi note I think BaiLea has finally finished shedding her under coat. How on earth can one dog have so darn much hair?

Off to find something good for supper.

Have a wonderful week!

Movie Night

2006-06-22T19:41:00.000-07:00

We went to the movie tonight. "The Break UP" was such a snozzer! There were a couple of funnies but over all one big LONG yawn.

Went to see Grandpa after the movie. He is so hurt that none of the kids showed up for fathers day. C got up early Sunday, went to church and then took GP out for lunch where ever he wanted to go. But he is still hurt none of the kids showed up. Out of nine children one would think ONE could make it. I guess this is one of the times you must count your blessings.

I have had a headache all day. I am gonna go off to bed.

Have a wonderful tomorrow.

Been thinkin' of you lately

2006-06-19T19:44:00.000-07:00

I don't know why you are on my mind. Maybe because yesterday was your birthday. Another birthday that you are not here with me. Another year checked off since you left.

As I was driving home tonight I came to the intersection where I had my first wreak. I stopped at the stop sign all those years ago. Mom was in the front passenger seat so I was driving so very carefully. I looked right did not see anything and then looked left. All I saw was YOU. You were walking across the street coming to my house for lunch. I was so excited to see you I forgot to look where I was going. I swear I never saw that other car.......I only had eyes for you. Yep, you caused my first wreak and you never let me forget it.

I see you all over town. When I talk to your dad I see your eyes. When he does that dorky laugh I hear your voice and your brother.......it just kills me to see him, watch him laugh and interact with his family. He looks like an older version of you. I so wish I could see you in person just one more time. Guess I will just have to be happy with seeing you in my dreams.

I do not feel well today. That must be one of the reasons I am so weepy. Why do I always feel poorly on Mondays?

I know a secret about someone at work. I want to help this person but I would have to admit I know something they are trying VERY hard to keep a secret. My heart just breaks for them. I guess all I can do is send a little prayer up for them daily. I pray they find the peace they are seeking and I will keep my mouth shut and keep their secret.

I finished reading my chapter and sending in my homework. There will be a test in a couple of weeks. I am gonna have to start studying more to get ready for it.

Have a wonderful evening I wanna go dream.................

Country Fever was awesome!

2006-06-13T19:56:00.000-07:00

I saw Joe Nichols and Brooks and Dunn perform. They sound so good in person. Both (or all three) put on an awesome show.

I also got the pleasure of meeting the EMT guys. As soon as I got in the golf cart something stung me. I did not see what it was but saw a flash of brown fly off.

I am allergic to everything it seems including bees and wasps. Since I did not take my purse with me to the concert I did not have my Eppie pen. The EMT guy did not have any on his "bus" and Life Flight was on a run. The sweet EMT guy made sure Life Flight brought some back. I told them I would be OK and if things changed we would call them. They were just so very nice and seemed very concerned for me. He must have checked my arm ten times before I left and he wanted to know where I would be so he would know when the call came in.

It was HOT when I arrived. The car showed it was 100. That does not include the heat index. I was once again assigned to the VIP tent so it was a lot cooler since there were several HUGE box fans running.

I left before Brooks and Dunn were finished as I did not want to get stuck in the traffic and I was tired.

I took the tips we made at the soda booth and turned them into the Craig County Cancer. For some reason the beer booth received about three times the tips we did. Wonder why? lol

Meetings first thing in the morning so I must call it a night.

Hope you all have a wonderful tomorrow!

Restless Heart Rawks!!

2006-06-10T05:56:00.000-07:00

Country Fever is going on again. I heard/saw Restless Heart, Blackhawk, Little Texas, and TRAVIS TRITT last night.

Oh my gosh was it HOT out there. My arm started swelling and I actually saw black spots a couple of times. I swear my head was spinning. The head volunteer took me into the VIP tent. I spent the next thirty minutes sitting in front of the HUGE box fan drinking water. I honestly do not know how people sat out in that sun all day long listening to music. I was absolutely melting.

Course once the sun went down it was NICE. Two big screens on each side of the stage so no matter where you were seated you could still see the action. There was plenty of security, highly visible and invisible, keeping an eye on everything and everyone. The sound system is awesome. All in all I can highly recommend people heading out there for a full day/night or even week end of entertainment.

Tonight I get to see Brooks and Dunn (see countryfeverfest.com for alist of artist and information.) Tonight is gonna be HOT!!

As a volunteer we were issued shirts. We have to wear the same one tonight. That poor ol'stinkin shirt was so nasty by the time I got home last evening. So I am doing laundry this morning and the usual Saturday morning FUN stuff like cleaning house :o)

Have a great day.

I feel good! :o)

2006-06-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Finally after a not to great 30 hours I think I am on the mend.

Best of all I did an ad inspiration today of my handsome great-nephew. Isn't he a doll? I still need to learn how to take a decent picture of a layout. Suggestions welcome.

I woke up early this morning still feeling poorly but decided to go in since my boss is having surgery tomorrow and will be out of the office for a while if he follows the doctors orders. Fixed breakfast for my fur babies then when I started to fill their water dish I discovered we did not have any water. I took that as divine intervention so I went back to bed instead of exposing everyone at work to my virus. :o)

Need to put my supplies up and get ready for bed.

Ya all have a wonderful tomorrow.

nite!

Do you know your picture is in the paper???

2006-06-05T17:00:00.000-07:00

Living in a small town can be sooooo fun. My mom just called to ask if I knew my pic was in the paper! She is the fourth person to tell me.

I am the secretary for Craig County Outreach Cancer Association (whew what a mouth full). Wal Mart did not think we qualified for any support but I filled out the paper work any way. When Joyce from Wal Mart called to tell me she had TWO checks for me, one from the WM foundation and one for matching funds for a grand total of $1,300.00, yep thirteen HUNDRED dollars, the whole second floor heard my WhooP!

That money will pay for a full year of travel for cancer treatment for one person with $100.00 left over for a second person. Well not totally pay for their travel cause man their travel expenses are outrages. When you travel over 120 miles a day almost EVERY DAY for chemo or radiation it gets outrageously expensive fast. The CCOCA reimburses $300.00 in travel expenses per quarter. I so wish we could do more but we have so many in treatment and get new applicants each week. That call from Joyce just made me sooooooooo happy. Anyway that is why my picture is in the paper......Accepting the checks with a few other board members.

The biggest news in T Town is still Oprah and Gail King at the mall shopping. Then they crashed two wedding receptions. They were filming for a September show.

Worst part of the day is I came home from work early sick. Peyton and his family are in town for supper and I am here drinking tomato soup. Since Jennifer is pregnant and they are here on vacation I did not want to take a chance this is a virus instead of allergies making me sick. I need sympathy. I have not seen the Missouri gang for almost a year! And then I go and get sick. :0(

Oh well tomorrow will be much better :o)

Oprah in Tulsa???

2006-06-03T20:18:00.000-07:00

Can you believe it!?! and she crashed two wedding receptions to boot. At least she gave them a gift.......of course the good news folks at channel 6 won't tell us what it is until tomorrow night.

Best news I received all week came today from my "favorite" nephew Greg that he and his beautiful family are coming down from Missouri for a vacation tomorrow. I get to see my great nephew.....first time this year.

I have come to the sad conclusion that I have to quit my job. I will turn in my resignation Monday. I do not like back stabbing and under handedness. Today was the last straw. I need the extra cash and it is mostly an easy job but I will not put up with the what I had to deal with today. So I am a little sad. I wish it had not come to this. Unfortunately there are a couple of people that will be happy to hear it. Some people are just icky.

I am trying to stay awake until C gets home. I am so very tired. After all it IS after ten! Now that is SAD!

Have a blessed evening all.

Back to work

2006-05-30T19:24:00.000-07:00

Oh my. First day back after a holiday is always fun.

I cleaned my studio yesterday. I have four shelves totally done......purged, organized, dusted, CLEAN! That is a major biggie. My small glass patio table is almost totally purged. The desk is getting under control.

Cassie drove me to Wal Mart yesterday to purchase a couple more containers to store stuff in. BaiLea is shedding so dog gone much I have to keep everything covered. ugh.

Speaking of the beautiful Bai she peed in her kennel again. She was out most of the day. Cassie put her in her kennel for about 45 min and then I came home and let her out side. I put her back in the kennel for less than an hour and she peed in her kennel! Don't know what to do about this.

I get the pleasure of taking Tiger Lily and Magi to the vet tomorrow for their shots. Dr. Danny is gentle with them. I had Cassie bring the carrier up stairs so Tiger Lily could become used to it. I hope she does not disappear when I come home for her tomorrow.

Well a storm is rolling in so I shall stop for tonight.

Sleep well all.............

I lost my dad

2006-05-28T19:38:00.000-07:00

We went to the cemetery to put flowers on my daddy's grave. I took mom and Cassie. We did not go last year because of the rain. The cemetery is out in the boonies. My car sets low to the ground. Since high water and low cars do not mix we were unable to go put flowers on his grave.

Anyway we finally find the cemetery and I drive as close to the grave as possible so mom won't have to walk very far. I get out of the car to check the grave and it is NOT my dad's. So where he? Not like he could just move cause he did not like his neighbors.

I sent Cassie a couple of rows in front and she was able to locate his stone. Mom and Cassie gathered there by his grave marker while I moved the car closer. Mom was nervously pushing pebbles around with the tip of her cane. I knew she was "talking" to daddy in her head so I got Cassie and walk off so she could have some "alone" time with him.

Mom still believes she can have conversations with the dead. She has done this conversing since she was a kid back when she and her sisters would spend the whole day at the cemetery. She just *knows* the dead knows she is there talking to them. Mom really has a problem with Cassie and I not believing the dead person is there in the grave and that we can talk to them. sigh.

I know for fact I still carry daddy in my heart. I still miss him after all these years. I *wish* I could talk to him again. Tell him one more time I love him. I also know my daddy knew I loved him when he died. I was standing right by his bed when he took his last breath March 25, 1994 less than two months before I graduated from college....... I still miss him and his shenanigans.

Cassie promised to put flowers on my daddy's grave after I die. I think that is sweet cause I know she promised only to make my mom happy.

When we came back to town I took flowers out to Uncle J, Aunt Annie, Billy, Uncle Cordell and my beloved. I still miss all of them. And for some dumb reason I am crying as I type their names. I do not need as special day to remember them. I remember them often..........Usually with a smile instead of tears.

I am going to do better at posting to this blog. I need to practice my writing skills (or lack there of).

Here's to a beautiful tomorrow for all of us.

Baby it's COLD outside!

2006-02-18T20:14:00.000-08:00

Feels like -6. Gonna get up to a whopping 19 degrees today if we are lucky. I had to grab the camera and get pictures of one of my flamingos in the snow. I am sure he does not appreciate it :o)............the snow that is not the fact I took his picture.

The dog was mad I left her inside while I went out to get pictures of the snow. The window frosted up in the short time I was out there. If you look really hard you can see her in the first shot.

Cassie is still sick. She was in bed all day except to take her pills and eat a small bowl of chicken noodle soup. She was not able to go to work again. If she is not better Monday I am going to load her in the car and take out to the doctors. This cold has hung on too long. She coughed all night last night. I got her some strong medicine today. I hope we both can get some sleep tonight.

Good night all!

My New Car! {Clean}

2006-01-07T13:40:00.000-08:00

My Cougar was ten and the time had come to say goodbye.

I think I am gonna like the Passant..........maybe. I know for fact I LOVE the seat warmer. Set the dile on 5 and my fanny is a cooking :o)

Oklahoma is still burning..........

2006-01-02T07:12:00.000-08:00

My picture of the day is my new adjustable scrap light. I cleaned off the table (actually put stuff away) and added a new coverlet. Seems so trivial now.

I am off work cleaning house. I refuse to turn on the TV as would be my normal habit. I must have spent most of last night crying watching the news breaks. Did not do any good. Homes still burned to the ground. People lost everything. Unfortunately some even lost their lives.

Oh the stories of the elderly farmers just broke my heart. The majority have NO insurance. That is just a killer. A life time of hard work burnt to the ground right in front of their disbelieving eyes. I can't count the fights I have had with my family convincing them to keep insurance on their houses after they paid them off. Unfortunately I lost a couple of those battles. Today I pray they won't be regretting the choice they made.

We need rain. We need divine intervention. Our fire fighters are exhausted. Homeowners are shoulder to shoulder fighting these fires with anything they can get their hands on. One man stopped on the side of the road and took the shirt off his back to beat back the flames. A stranger lending a helping hand to another stranger. People never cease to amaze me with the depth of their compassion for their fellow man.

At least the winds have died down. That will help. Now we can get the plains and helicopters back in the air. Last night was a nightmare for so many.

Pray for all those that have lost and the ones that are now watching a life time of work go up in smoke.

2006-01-01T15:46:00.000-08:00

"HAPPY NEW YEAR!!"

The first person I spoke with this year was RC. He called early this morning to let us know Ronnie and Jacquie were here from Missouri for a visit. I answered the phone with a cherry "Happy New Year". That got a real chuckle from him.

After church we went the Truck Stop for lunch. I took these pictures of RC there. The natural light coming thru the windows was kinda bright but I think they came out well. Can you believe RC with be 89 this month?

Hope each of you have a Blessed New Year!

2005-12-13T17:31:00.000-08:00

Cassie took this picture of J..........isn't she cute?

J had to go visit Dr Danny today. She need to get her yearly shots. I can not believe how attached I have become to this cat.........she makes me smile.

2005-12-09T14:55:00.000-08:00

My Photo of the Week: Reflections

This is the reflection of my daughter standing by the Christmas tree in the hall outside my office. It is 2 degrees outside. Yes she is wearing flip flops. Flannel snowflake PJ pants with a sweatshirt round out her outfit. At least she is wearing a wool coat.

I wish I could figure out how to get this blog to look the way I want it to. I guess i will just keep working on it.

2005-12-07T20:51:00.000-08:00

snow, snow, snow!!!!

It is -3 outside. This is Magi's first snow and she is just loving it!

Big was having a good time also. However, she runs TO the camera every time she sees it. This is her second year to see snow.

Schools are closed all around us. I already told cassie she can not go to college tomorrow. NSU is an hour and a half away. The roads are going to be slick.

2005-12-07T19:49:00.000-08:00

Dramaville

We had our first snow tonight. Tomorrow is going to really be bad.

I just bought a new car.........this will be the first time I drive it in the snow.......that is IF I drive it tomorrow. I may have to stay home.........cough, cough :o)

Actually calling in sick does me nada good. My boss just zips right over and picks me up. Another reason leaving in a small town is not an asset.

2005-11-14T07:33:00.000-08:00

I have always called my daughter Cassie "my bright shinning star". When I saw this lighted Mrs. Clause hat with stars I knew I had to get for her. She loved it!

2005-11-13T09:03:00.000-08:00

Most Sundays you will find me sitting in church surrounded by ten stain glass windows.

I think they are so beautiful!

2005-11-07T15:30:00.000-08:00

Hello!

2005-11-06T19:12:00.000-08:00

I hope this fixes the problem

2005-11-03T16:13:00.000-08:00

Photo for today: Jenni

I brought the outside water bowl in for a good cleaning this morning. Jenni saw me fill it with water. As soon as I walked away Jennie jumped up on the counter and started playing in the water. Within a few seconds she had splashed water all over the counter and floor. Why do "they" say cats do not like water?

2005-11-02T20:45:00.000-08:00

We held our 7th Annual Coats for Kids today. We, my committee and I, handed out 69 coats to some very happy kids this afternoon. It was a lot of hard work but soooo worth it. Each time a child smiled and danced around in their new coat it just melted our hearts. I am now ready to start planning our 8th Annual Coats for Kids!

2005-11-01T19:50:00.000-08:00

My puppy Magi. She is such a cutie.

2005-10-31T17:03:00.000-08:00

how scary is this? Wishing you a

Happy Halloween!

Today I receive FLOWERS!!

2005-10-28T11:05:00.000-07:00

So excited! A sweet guy I helped out the other day sent me a basket of plants as a "Thank You". How sweet is little Jake. His momma raised a real gentleman.

I will post pictures later (before they trun brown and DIE).