Here a Blog - There a Blog

Today one of my friends joined the bloggers @blogspot. Shauna used to blog on Yahoo. At one time I linked to one of her posts RE: Woody. She will be posting updates on him on her new blog now - S.O.S..

She wants comments! I know that I don't have a lot of readers, but I am asking the ones that I do have to at least stop over and say hello! I hope she gets a good welcome to the blogging world. Thanks (in advance)!

Quote of the Day, July 31

You shouldn't take life too seriously. You'll never get out alive.
-- Van Wilder

Punky and her Poppy

Punky LOVES her Poppy!

She also loves hanging out on his shoulders. She got pretty comfortable. As you can see. I had the camera and Poohs was following me. He likes to look at the pictures as soon as I take them.

After Punky got comfortable, she patted her Poppy's baldness and said..."Poppy, I love your head. It is so soft." She is three.


Then for some reason she decided to blow on him. I guess he didn't mind. They stayed that way for quite a while.

Adventures with Granny - Shopping

I LOVE shopping!!! and I HATE shopping!!

Okay, so I have a love/hate thing here!! I love shopping and getting new things. I hate spending the money.

It never fails. When I go shopping with my Granny we always find good deals. Thursday - we found a Half (50%) off sale on shoes. All brands! I got a pair of Merrells - too cute! Oh and the Born sandals were too cute as well! I only got two pair of shoes at that store. Granny got three. She found some even cuter Merrells. A pair of Sketchers that zip up the top. My arch is so blamed high I couldn't get the zipper up. They are cute too. Then she got some little red heels that are slides. Really really cute!

Well, then we hit Wall's. She had to return some pants that she had gotten for my Grandad. Apparently they were sized wrong. When she got them home and he tried them on they were so big two people could fit in just one of the legs. Sorry - getting off topic. At Wall's I found another pair of shoes. Again, Half off! Granny was a dear and got those for me. She didn't find anything to fit there.

Then we went to the Fashion Corner. This is all in Elk City. This is where all the damage was done! They were having a large sale - 60% off. Most of the stuff did not have price tags on them. That sent a red flag flying! I have always felt that if it doesn't have a price on it - it must be too expensive for me. Or if you have to ask, you can't afford it. Well, that held true Thursday.

My list of goodies - without the tag:
David Kahn jeans - (not on sale) but I bargained a little (very hard thing for me to do, but I did it) McDreamy would be proud.

Foreign Policy outfit - tank, vest and capri's. Just so you know - this brand runs very small. I think brands should intentionally not run small but maybe big. That way you don't feel like a lard a$$ when you don't fit into your size.

Telluride Clothing Co. tank (the least expensive thing bought that day).

Bentley. a - jean skirt

White linen skirt - can't remember the brand and am too lazy to go to my closet and get it. The same goes for the remainder of the list.

Dressier white tank (sweater like)

This list does not include everything I found at J Jill's earlier in the week.

Oh! I can't forget - THE BELT! I hadn't ever heard of the brand Streets Ahead. The owner of the shop couldn't believe I hadn't heard of it. Oh well. This belt looked so cute on!!! (Again, no price to be found.) It was 40% off, but when she saw my face after naming the price she gave us 50% off. This is the only price I will put on here. And it is only because I didn't pay for it. I wouldn't have paid for it. I couldn't have paid for it. McD would have killed me. Granny paid $102 for my belt. I will let you all do the math to get the original price. Just my belt. I am starting to get a headache just thinking about all the money we spent that day.

I did make myself sick that night. I get that from my Mom I think. If I were working and contributing to our finances I would feel better about spending hundreds of dollars on myself. But right now it makes me sick. We spent so much money there that the owner gave me her card. And since I live 3+ hours away from there, she gave me her cell phone number so she can open the store for me when I come back down if it happens to be after hours or on a Sunday.

Now you know why I didn't post anything yesterday. I was still recovering.

Movies Movies Movies

Now that classes are over I feel like a completely different person. I can do what I want. When I want. And usually how I want. This past week I went to see two movies!! More than I have seen in months!!! Then we watched one on PPV last night. Here are a few little reviews.

Movie #1 - The Devil Wears Prada
Good in a silly kind of chick-flickish way. My friend Muncy and I made a night of it. There weren't very many people there (bonus). There were parts where we literally laughed out loud. If you have ever had a witchy boss, you both understand and like it. But this is not a movie I would purchase or watch again.

Movie #2 - Pirates of the Caribbean - Dead Man's Chest
Good movie! A bit darker than the first Pirates, but good! There were several comical parts and one jump scene. McD and I had a date night. I had almost forgotten what that was like. :)

I interrupt this post to report that there is rain falling from the sky. I repeat rain falling from the sky. (Please understand - everyone around us has gotten rain and we are in desparate need of a little rain!) Now you may return you to your blog reading.
(This was written - last night @ 11ish because I am headed to see my Granny today.)

Movie #3 - Glory Road
Great movie!!! Will watch it again! I hope everyone sees it. I laughed. I cried. I blamed it on my allergies. I loved it! Even if you are not a fan of sports, or of basketball...you will still like this movie. Granted you have a heart. Oh and granted that you are not racist. It is about black (not colored...see the movie and you will get this) basketball players - not just any basketball players. The first team to start all blacks in a college basketball game - NCAA championship game. Okay, I have to stop there or I will be telling the whole story. (This one we watched on PPV.)

If you have seen any good movies and want to recommend some, please do. I love the movies!

Hot Hot HOT

I am not talking about the weather here.

While in Surprise, AZ for MLB Spring Training I went to several games. I watched the minor league as well as major league games. Most of the time I was by myself. On the last day of our trip I took McD with me. I introduced him to Z (friends Dad that is on the KC Royals coaching staff - see More Baseball. And he was with me when I saw THE COP. (Mentioned in the More Baseball post.)

While watching the Royals and Cubs warming up I noticed a cop walking around down around the dugouts. I was sitting on the first row with my feet resting on the Cubs' dugout. The cop was very nice looking. I have a thing for bald headed guys. He was bald, tan (how can you not be tan in AZ) and built. I didn't pay any more attention to him because the game started and I was a baseball fan with a camera.

When Z called me to tell me he had my autographed George Brett baseball, he asked me to meet him at the Post Office there in Surprise. Not. A. Problem.

When I called and reserved a car from whatever rental place I used, I told them I wanted an SUV or a Jeep. I got an Outback. Okay, ewww! Now for those of you that have an Outback - God love ya and thanks for reading - but that is just not what I had in mind. (Oldest Step-son has one and they love it by the way.) It just wasn't cool enough for me to be taking to all the games. It is a little station wagon. Is it not? (I was just lucky the name of the rental place was not plastered all over the car!! Pioneer Woman and Marlboro Man had that experience.)

So there I sit in my maroon Outback. Waiting for Z and my baseball. McDreamy is in the passenger seat. We were not sitting there two minutes when a cop car pulls in. I didn't think anything of it. Until I saw...THE HOT COP! And HE noticed me. Yes. I checked him out with McD sitting right there. What is even worse. I told McD just how HOT that cop was. I didn't mean to tell him, it just slipped out. (I still haven't lived that one down.)

The cop left the PO parking lot but in a couple of minutes he was back. He flew in the parking lot, turned the corner and almost came to a stop behind my beautiful Outback. I was grinning from ear to ear, trying not to laugh. McD said I was flirting. Maybe I was. But he was HOT! It wasn't like I was hiding anything from McD. We decided that he was probably taking down my license plate. Thank goodness! Now he will know it was just a rental!!! Finally, he was leaving. He smiled, and believe me it was a nice smile. I smiled. (I felt like a school girl.) He waved. I waved. And he was gone.

Now, he saw McD sitting in the passenger seat. He had to have thought he was my Dad. McD is 14 years older than me. He has a bald head (we keep it cut super short) and the little bit of hair left is white. So, yea, people have called him my Dad. That is just another ongoing joke. Kind of like me and the HOT cop.

Next year we are headed back to Phoenix. And I am going back to the ball games!!!

More Baseball (Sorry it is a long one)

George. Brett.
Two words that can really get my attention. Sad. I know. But he has been one of my favorites since I was a kid. I have seen him in person three times. Count 'em...one - two - three. Well, it sounds better than it actually was.

The first time was in the LAX airport (Los Angeles, CA). This is back when the teams all flew together. The whole KC Royals team was walking pretty much single file through the airport, all dressed in suits. I noticed them. I took off after them. My Uncle was right behind me. I don't really know what I thought I would do once I caught them. I didn't get an autograph or anything.

Then the time came for him to retire. I had watched him play on television but not in person. So I called a friend and said I HAVE to go to a game before he retires. And that is what we did. We borrowed by Dad's little Toyota pick-up because it got better gas mileage than mine - and headed to KC. The pick-up did not have an air-conditioner or a radio. We sang "The Bunny Song" most of the way. People that saw us probably thought we were idiots - but we had fun. I saw George play - and was happy.

The last time I saw him was in Surprise, AZ during Spring Training. McDreamy's job requires him to attend different meetings throughout the year. This time it just so happened to be in Phoenix, AZ. I went to school with a guy whose father was the local junior college baseball coach. He was known as "the best." He retired from that and went to work for the KC Royals. He is part of the coaching staff there in Surprise. As soon as I heard we were headed to AZ, I was on the phone trying to get ahold of my good ol' high school friend. To make what could be a long story shorter - I got ahold of Z (the coach) and he hooked me up!

McD had to be in meetings all day so every morning I would pack my backpack. Oh I had a ton of baseballs and water and snacks, etc. Had to be prepared!! Then I would head for the ballparks. I saw a ton of teams. But I was really only there for George Brett.

Z showed me around. Introduced me to a couple of coaches and players. Then when I walked back toward the locker room with him the team he was having bp with was following behind us. It was so much fun! I asked him if he could hook me up with an autographed ball from George and he said he would try. I know this is getting long but this is the best part.

There are places where you can stand and hope that they will come over and sign stuff. Yes, I was one of the crazy fans there. Ball in hand. But I am not the kind of person that would yell or holler or scream at the players. I just stand there trying to look normal. LOL. So George walks by and all of these people are yelling at him. I am just in awe. I don't think my jaw dropped but it might have a little. Then he walked within my reach. I just stood there. In awe! I could see directly in his eyes. I could see every wrinkle on his face (oh and he has them). He was soooo tan. But all I could do was stand there. He told everyone that he couldn't sign right now but maybe later. Then he went into the dugout. The game was about to start and everyone left - but me. I just stood there. If it was just me maybe he would come out and sign. No. But he did turn around and see the dork (me) standing there all by herself. He smiled. I smiled. And that was it.

We were headed to the airport when Z finally called me. He wanted to know where I was because he had something for me. While George was on the treadmill he asked him to do him a favor and sign this ball for a friend of his. George said okay. Z left it sitting on the table with a Sharpie and headed out to his game. When I saw Z he said that George must have forgotten to sign the ball because it was still on the table when he went back. But - apparently George remembered because later when Z got to his locker there it was! George had forgotten, so he went in - got a different ball and used his own pen to sign my ball. I whipped a Uie and met Z at the post office (it was the closest). That is where I saw the HOTTIE cop!!! (Oh that is another story!!)

So I have it! My very own George Brett autographed baseball. To get it someone will have to pry it from my cold dead hand. LOL (Or offer me lots and lots of money!!! I could probably get another one!)

Always in the Way

Mordecai HAS to get into luggage if it is out. The other day McD was headed out of town for a few days. I was packing some stuff for him and went to the other room to get more stuff. This is what I found when I came back into the room.

This is him getting more comfortable. Luckily he was only laying on the clothes that were to be used to hang out in the hotel room.

I love Baseball!!!

Back in 1992, our newlywed stage of life, McD asked me what I wanted to do for the weekend. I wanted to go to a Texas Rangers game in Arlington, Texas. At the time we lived 5 hours away and I didn't think there was any chance that we would go. But to my surprise, he said yes! So I got on the phone. Purchased tickets. Reserved a hotel room. And then most importantly I called my parents to tell them we were headed out. (Long story there - will leave for another time.)

We left the house and drove like maniacs to get there in time for the game. When we arrived, we were to go to the will call window to pick up our tickets. On our way there a nice gentleman approached us. A friend had given him some tickets so he would not be needing his usual seats. Would we like to use his tickets? Well, yeah! We thanked him for the tickets and then found the nearest usher to ask just exactly where the seats were. The usher told us they were great seats. Right off of first base. WOW!!! We thought that was the best thing that would happen that whole trip.

But.... Then....

They started announcing the line up for the Rangers. All of the fans were applauding for each player. Then they announced the pitcher. Nolan Ryan! Nolan. Ryan. The whole stadium stood up and cheered. The whole stadium except for McD and I. We were in total shock. Our jaws hit the cement. We had no clue Nolan was pitching! After the initial shock wore off we were standing and cheering with the rest of the crowd.

Not only was one of the best pitchers pitching, we were sitting close enough to actually see him. It was one of the best baseball games we ever went to.

My Summer & an Update on Babe

WOW! This summer is really flying by. When the BloggingChicks theme this time was Summer I started thinking about what all I had accomplished this summer. Looking back it doesn't seem like much.

My summer class was not fun at all! Intermediate Microeconomics. But I wanted a second minor, so I sucked it up and did it. And ended up doing pretty well in that class. Better than I ever expected - an A! This class took up most of my time from June till now.

We went to Creede, CO and spent some time with the kids. See the Creede, Colorado post. When we returned home from that trip is when the excitement started. We found Babe one of our Percheron draft horses stuck in the mud. She was 5 feet deep in mud. It was horrible!! See the Babe in the Mud post. And if you would like to see more, go here to the Photos.

Here are a couple of shots of Babe now.
These are some of the scrapes she got while trying to pull herself through the silt in the dry pond.

She is doing great now! Thanks to everyone that kept us all in your prayers!

Our next venture will be going to Colorado Springs for a business meeting. The kids will be meeting us there a day before the meeting so we can all go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo. This will be the twins' first trip to the zoo. I can't wait! Until then I plan on resting, relaxing and reading. Today I started Angels & Demons by Dan Brown. If you have any other suggestions feel free to put them in the comments. Then it is back to school in August, but it is my last semester. Then my real life will begin. :)

Hope everyone enjoys the rest of their summer!!

Oh Mirror in the Sky

What is love?

Can the child within my heart rise above?

Can I sail through the changing ocean tides?

Can I handle the seasons of my life?

LANDSLIDE - by Fleetwood Mac

Another song stuck in my head!!

Tradin' for a TeePee

My oldest step-son, Jer, has wanted a teepee for a really long time. They are very expensive though. But I guess if you want something bad enough you find a way to get it.

In Creede, they sometimes have a Mountain Man Rendevous. This is where people from all over come and put up their teepees, dress in the apparel of the cowboy and indian days, and basically camp out. They are not allowed to drive into the camp or wear anything modern. They want you to think they are doing everything just like in the good ol' days. Since we did not have the appropriate clothes, we were not allowed to enter. (Don't think they didn't have anything modern though. We know their secrets. They covered the ice chests with burlap and made a tent over the porta-potties.)

Jer had to get clothes to wear so he could walk into the area and it is a pretty good little jaunt. He was dressed in a red button-up shirt, and either leather pants with fringe or chaps (I don't remember which) but then he had suspenders on and moccasins. He looked the part. He even had a little medicine bag on his belt with arrowheads inside. Real arrowheads he had found on his property.

He went to see a man about a teepee.

He took pictures of his Jeep Wrangler and headed to the Rendevous. He wanted to trade his Jeep for the teepee. Keep in mind that this Jeep has seen better days. There's quite a bit that needs to be done to it. But Jer went and layed it all on the table. He described everything that needed to be done to the jeep and showed him pictures of it on the digital camera. Now was he really supposed to take the modern camera into the camp? hmmmm!

The guy took the deal. He also threw in a longhorn hide that is used to cover the ground and use as a floor. It is a brand new 18 foot purple top teepee. The man that he traded with is the man that built it (do you really "build" a teepee?). Well, he made it.

I guess I wouldn't have ever thought about trading a vehicle for something like that. But he did. And he has stayed in it twice since he got it. :) He calls it the Lodge.

Photo Contest Cancelled!

Okay, I'll admit MY photo contest was lame!

I had two comments in the first day and almost had three. The third was a close friend of mine and she (we) wanted to see some of the guesses before she blew everyone out of the water. Yet, everyone knows what it is! LOL

Maybe I have been reading too much Intermediate Microeconomics - Price Theory and Applications. I am now on the hunt for a good read. One, Two or Three books that I can read and actually enjoy before I start my last semester of school. YEAH!! So if you know of a good book - leave me a comment with a title or two. My friend Muncy has already suggested Angels and Demons. She said it is a MUST read.

Well, I am cancelling the photo contest! Everyone (both of you) are winners in my book. It was a TeePee and here is a full shot of it!

Many Faces of Poohs

Poohs has many different faces. It is fun to take his picture. He loves it!


He will make different faces during the "photo shoot."



This time he even changed poses.

Creede, Colorado

Now that all the commotion with Babe is over, hopefully I can get back to blogging.

We just returned from Creede, Colorado. It is a neat little old mining town. The town itself is situated right between two mountains. I would've gotten pictures but we got busy doing other things. Imagine that.

We did not move P3. We are not really sure why, but they just didn't want to I guess. We played and played and played with Poohs and Punky. Poohs and I built castles while Punky was still sleeping. We even played on the new swingset (without the mulch). It was all fun.

The kids live out of town so anytime we would all go somewhere we had to take separate cars for all of us to fit. Poohs and Punky had to ride with us. So on our way to town we hear a very loud squeal. And then Poohs screams at the top of his lungs - "The United States of America Flag!!!" Okay, Creede must be a very patriotic town. I had not counted the American flags along the highway. Let me tell you. There. Are. A lot! And he screamed/squealed about each one. It was really cute. All we could do was laugh. Then at one point he told us that we live in the United States Flag. We explained we didn't really live in the flag.

Punky was full of drama this trip. She pitched fits everytime we turned around. I mean fits. Not just whinning and pouting. Screaming for Mommy (at the top of her lungs) and crying. Very Very Loudly. This might sound mean to some. But we usually just ignored her. Any time she wanted to do something she knew she wasn't supposed to do it was, Daddy lets me do it. She tried and tried. Then cried and cried. She just knew she could break us. Those big blue eyes didn't even do it.

One of the funniest - Daddy/Mommy lets me stories from Punky. The kids had a meeting at their house for their homeowners association so we took the kids to town to eat and play at the park, etc. On the way home it was already past their bedtime. We had told them that too.

So little Miss Punky says: "After we brush our teeth Mommy lets us stay up and watch a video."
I said, "Really?"
Punky: "Yes, so can we?"
Me: "Well, guess what. Your Mommy and Daddy are going to be home when we get there so we can just ask them."
Punky: "Oh."

She just knew she was going to get away with something. It was a classic!

We had a lot of fun! We will see them again in a few weeks when we meet in Colorado Springs to go to the Cheyenne Mountain Zoo.

What is this? Photo Contest

Okay gang, Pioneer Woman does a name this photo contest. She even gives prizes. I took some photos and then while editing them thought it would be fun to see if you could guess what it is. My contest is lame compared to Pioneer Womans. I don't have prizes. I will recognize you here as the winner. That is all I can do at this time. One more difference is that my contest will run a little longer than hers. I am finishing my Econ class and am going to concentrate on that just a touch more than this. :) Sorry!

For a better look at the photo click here.

The contest ends tomorrow, July 20th at 5 pm PST.
Good Luck everyone!

Babe in the Mud

This is what I found the morning after our return from Colorado. While McD was working out 3 of the horses came up, we have 4. Ruby was whinnying for Babe and looking up at the hill. So McD headed that way looking for her. He came into the house and told me what was going on (6:45 am). He had to get ready for work. I got around, headed out the door got on the 4-wheeler and started the search.

At around 8:30 I found her. Our lovely Percheron (draft horse) Babe had to have been trying to eat some grass growing around the dry pond. That would have been fine but the top is the only thing dry. The silt underneath is still not. We don't know exactly when she got stuck. By the trail she left behind and the shape she was in, we figured she probably got stuck sometime the night before. Thank goodness it wasn't the day before. The temps had been in the hundreds and she would have died. We are very fortunate.


Poor Babe was having a hard time breathing so here you can see where McD had been digging the mud out away from her sides. That helped quite a bit. Most of the time I was stationed up by her head trying to calm her down. She had thrown her head around while trying to move and had scraped it up a bit. She would rest her head (which weighs a ton) on my foot. But when McD got down there I just had to get the camera out. Now would you have believed this story without photos?


Here is the trail she left behind. She only had 18 feet left to go and she would have made it to the bank.


McD and Slick are using a piece of bent rebar that one of our neighbors fixed up for us. He welded a loop at one end so we could tie a tow rope to it. Then they threaded the ropes up and under Babe. Then the ropes were connected to the chains. The chains were hooked onto the tractor. (Reminds me of that song - the ankle bone's connected to the knee bone, and so on.)

We have some really good friends and neighbors. We don't have a big tractor but our neighbor does. We had chain, but not enough. They went and got more of theirs. Slick works with McD. They were in a staff meeting when I called and said, "You have to get out here now." (I think that is what I said. That part is all a blur now.) McD said that Slick heard him telling me to stay with her and try to keep her calm. As he was walking out telling them all that he had to leave, Slick was already up and headed out with him. Offered to take his pick-up and get the heck out of dodge. It felt like it took forever for them to get there. But I know they were flying. (Driving like Pioneer Woman's family.) I was on the phone with my Mom because I had to have some moral support.



You can see how the ropes are around her. Chuck was driving the tractor. Slick's wife took this photo. I was running to get something, who knows what at this point. Kim was trying to keep me calm I think. That is Slick there in the white t-shirt. He was a life saver that day, literally!


Here is Babe. She is out of the pond/mud/silt. She laid there for about 15 minutes. She tried to get up but she was too weak. I ran and got the halter from the barn. McD got it on her and the next time she tried to get up, she did it. She was kind of wobbly. But she was up and probably in shock.


She walked up the bank, slowly but surely. Kim took her some more water. And then Babe started eating grass. This horse lives to eat. McD walked her to the barn where she got in the shade and got a shower (one of many).

Babe is doing great!!! We still have her up at the barn and will let her out to roam the pastures again probably tomorrow. Ruby is up here with her. We are fortunate that she didn't get colic. That she didn't break a leg. And that we didn't snap her two left legs when we pulled her out. She is onery as ever. Splashing around in the water tank. Even nipping (or lipping) you when you aren't showing her enough attention.

I think Slick's son who is 4 said it best. She was saved by all of our prayers. We certainly couldn't have gone through the day without a little help from above.

Life Is Good

Life is good!

Today is kind of like my Friday - for bloggin'. Tomorrow we are headed to Creede, Colorado. The kids are there and waiting on us. They have everything all planned out for us. We were asked to bring mulch - 20 bags - ummm. We are driving the Jeep Grand Cherokee. Don't think that is going to happen. They would like for us to bring as much as we can then. Hee hee! After thinking about it. I find it quite comical. We might. Might. Get 5 bags in there. Not even a dent into what they want/need. They are planning on putting it under the new playset we all pitched in to get for the twins. Yes, we all spoil them.

Then P3 is glad we are coming so we can help them move. They just bought a home there, and this weekend would be great for moving. Because there are more bodies coming. :)

Now we just have to see if we can get Slick to come out and feed and water the dogs while we are gone. When I called the vet to have them boarded while we were gone - they said they were full. I really don't want to have to take them somewhere else, because then I have to tell them that we are actually using a different vet now and they already have their bordatella shots. That would be an awkward moment.

I won't be posting anything until probably Monday. Hopefully I will have some new photos and stories for ya. Since today's is such a bore - check out a couple of really good posts by other bloggers that I read. :)

At Humble Beginnings you must read The History of the Clerical Collar. You may have to scroll down to the previous post here. These guys are on the ball getting their posts up early. And at Snow Trapped Southern Girl you must look at the And now....the pics.... If you like KISS, you have to see the photos she took at the KISS Coffehouse. It looks like a blast and she said the coffee is FABULOUS!! (Again, scroll down to see it.)

Have a great weekend everybody!

Woody Update

Remember the Momma Mia post? Well this is her baby Elwood, Woody for short.

He is loving his new family. Sha and the gang take good care of him. Too good if you now what I mean. Can you say - SPOILED.

If you would like to see future updates - check Sha's blog at Sha's Blog

(Oh and I robbed this shot of Woody from Sha!)

Smokin' Strippers

Okay, now don't get the wrong idea. They were not smokin' as in hot...they were smoking outside of the tittie bar where they work. EEWWWW!!!

The first time we saw them they had robes on and that was okay. The next day. Oh. My. Heck! It was sickening!

These girls were way - WAY over weight and were wearing little bras and panties. In public. (Just imagine Ron White saying it.) Oh. My. Heck. It was disgusting!! McD even said "Ewww!" Isn't there a back door they can stand around to smoke. McD said they were advertising. EWWW! All I could imagine was those heifers on stage jiggling around. EEWWW!

I almost lost my appetite. But we were on our way to get a snocone. And I will admit. I. Am. Addicted.

There I said it. It's the first step - right. Rehab will start in Sept. when they close for the year!

Quote of the Day, July 11

The price of eternal gratitude is mighty high.
-- Kevin McComas

Crazy Cat 2

Mordecai seems to think the best way to get some love is to jump up onto the table and lay right on top of whatever I am working on. Yesterday it was an econ paper. Normally I just toss him off. This time I wanted to get a photo of it.

You probably can't tell, but he is laying right on top of my econ books.

Crazy cat!

Class Reunions - Love 'em or Hate 'em

July 1st was McDreamy's 30th class reunion. We did not attend. Thank goodness!!! Instead we went to dinner with some of the people we do care about seeing. Big M and Peggy. They are great people! And then there was Big B and his wife Jackie. We had not met before, and McD had not seen Big B for 20 years. It was quite interesting.

Apparently the reunion itself was quite interesting. We started receiving phone calls about everything that went on. I am just so thankful that we did not go. There would have been problems I am afraid.

First of all, I think most of the women that graduated in his class are sluts or whores. We know for sure one is. We usually refer to her as the Beotch. This person, certainly not a lady, made comments about how Big M should be ousted as the class president because of his weight. Yes, Big M is big! No he is BIG! But he knows it and so does everyone else. Why in the world would you make fun of someone's weight - she went through weight struggles so she should know it can be hurtful to say things like that. Not all of us can afford a tummy tuck and boob job! Not all of us are that vain!!

You're so vain. You probably think this song is about you, don't you!? (I never understood that, because apparently the song is about them.)

Then another female went over to Big M and was running her fingers through his hair. Peggy said she did it for 10 minutes. Okay, I can't just sit there if some woman is running her fingers through my husbands hair. Well, McD doesn't have any hair and you know how tempting it is for some drunk women to rub a bald head. It is such a good thing we weren't there.

And finally, when the reunion was ending. The Beotch wrapped her arms around Big M, said what a wonderful time she had and then kissed him. Right after she bad mouthed him. And Peg was right there. I could not have been so nice.

Oh well! We decided we were not going to any more reunions. We will have our own get togethers with those that matter!

To Trust or Not To Trust?

That is the question.

McD and I have been married almost 15 years. This story begins when we were first married. It should have ended last year, but his cruelty has been implanted into my brain and I just can't shake it.

When we first got married, I was quite young. McD is a bit older than me, 14 yrs, he had a college education, owned his own business, yada yada yada.

Now keep in mind, we live in Oklahoma. I have an accent, most of the time I sound like a hick. I can't help it.

One day we were driving down the road and I asked him, "How do you say pinch?" I then said, "Is it Pinch or Peench?" I was being serious. I was brought up saying some really strange things that meant something else, and I wanted to know the correct way to pronounce Pinch.

He told me it was Peench.

I believed him, because he was the professional. He wouldn't steer me wrong. He wouldn't want his new bride to sound ignorant (or ignernt).

Now fast forward 14 years...

I honestly don't remember how it got brought up. I think I asked him the exact same question again. And he told me, "Pinch." I let him have it. I had been saying "Peench" for 14 years! PEENCH! It is Pinch! I said Peench one day at work, and the debate was on. I even went to the doctor and asked him how he said it. Of course it was Pinch. Why wouldn't I just go with that? But no, why would my loving husband steer me wrong? So I went with Peench.

McD and I were on the road when the 2nd Peench or Pinch conversation came up, he was driving, He was laughing so hard I thought we were going to have to pull over. He was crying he was laughing so hard. I was laughing because he was laughing. I tried to make him feel bad for steering me wrong and that now I am sure people were laughing at me. But it just made him laugh harder.

Now when I say Pinch, I have to really think about it. I have to say it to myself to make sure I am saying it right. And a lot of the times Peench comes out instead. And he still laughs when I say it!

What the crap?

The Good Ol' Days - 1958

A few years back my parents bought an old house that is just about a quarter of a mile from them. No one really understood why they bought it. It seems it was a good thing though. My sister lived there for a bit. Now my Aunt is living there. Right before we moved my Aunt into the house we went through all the stuff in the barns. It was a treasure hunt.

Dad was going through one area and I through another. I found receipts from the 30s and 40s. I also found a newspaper that was still rolled and had string tied around it. Not a rubberband, string...very delicate string. I unrolled the paper and here are a few things I found.

Date: Wednesday July 2, 1958
(McDreamy wasn't even a year old - and I was far from being born as my Dad was only 7 at this time.)

At Burton's Cafe - was Refrigerater Air Conditioned - Phone number 172
You could get a Sunday Dinner from 90¢ to $1.50. They served Kentucky Fried Chicken, Baked Hen, Lobster Tails, Catfish, Deviled Crab, etc. On weekdays the Merchant's lunches were 85¢ and a cup of Cain's coffee was 5¢. (They probably got free refills too!)

As for groceries the Sirloin Steaks were 89¢/lb, Club Steaks 79¢/lb, meadowlake margarine 29¢/lb, and Thompson Seedless Grapes 29¢/lb.

How about clothes: Sport shirts were 99¢, and Men's Khaki pants were $3.99.

And the primetime television programs were:
KWTV: 6:30 pm - Sing Along; 7 pm - Leave it to Beaver; 7:30 - Johnson Wax Theatre
WKY: 6:30 pm - Wagon Train; 7:30 - Father Knows Best

More to come....

The Morning After

Twisted. Tangled. Parachutes.

That is what our 3rd of July party was like. Food, friends, family, fun and fireworks!!

We had our family celebration a day early so everyone could be there. For the past 20 something years, my family has gone all out to celebrate the fourth! We always have a blast!! The fireworks were great - as always!

The morning after is when we find all the treasures from the night before. Better known as the Fall Out. There were probably 20 parachutes, and 1 with G.I. Joe. And lots and lots of tiny pieces of cardboard. I spent about 45 minutes on the roof picking up all the trash.

Last night, McD and I wanted to see just how many fireworks we could see. We have been told that the hill on our place is one of the highest in the county. So we went up the hill to count the fireworks shows. There were fireworks going off in 8 different areas. Some were bigger than others. But they were all very pretty! It was a very colorful night!

I think the prettiest were when the fireworks were going off and lightning was flashing right along side of it. It was really a very nice night!

Hope everyone had a very festive fourth!!

Blue Collar Comedy Tour at Wal-Mart

If you have not seen the newest Blue Collar Comedy Tour movie - then shame on you! Go and get it now!

This latest movie (why they call it a movie I have no clue) is hilarious!
What is even funnier is when you go somewhere and see exactly what they joked about.

Yesterday we had to go to Wal-Mart. That is one place we dread going to. But we were all smiles walking into the store. McDreamy was threatening to do the Wal-Mart Walk that Larry the Cable Guy demonstrated. I laugh everytime I think about it.

The closer we got to the door the harder I laughed. Because right as we walked into the Garden Area we saw a girl actually doing one of the Wal-Mart walks. I can't even describe it. And the lady with her was wearing an outfit that Jeff Foxworthy described and she was breaking the flip-flop rules! In fact, they were both breaking the clothing rules. It was almost more than we could handle! We really got a good laugh out of it.

Watch the latest Blue Collar Comedy Tour movie and you will know exactly what I am talking about. And you won't be able to drive past a Home Depot without giggling either!

90 Year Old Talks About Sex

McDreamy's Grandmother is turning 90 either today or Wednesday. He doesn't know for sure which day. But I feel okay about posting this because she'll never read it. One of her grandsons asked her if she had the internet and she told us how she just doesn't watch television enough to have it. She watches the news once a day and that is about it. I think she watches Dr. Phil and Oprah too, but she didn't offer that info. So she will never know we don't know when it is.

She reads. She loves Romance novels! And she will read a book in just a few days. I also love to read so each year we get her a new book for her birthday, and Christmas, and any other reason we can find. She LOVES them. And Bonus, she always sends them back to me to read. Sometimes I read them. Sometimes I don't.

She also reads magazines. Star magazine. You know all the magazines that you read while you are checking out at the store but never actually pick up. Or buy. She buys them. Every. Week.

We were all getting together to see our kids and grandkids. They live in Colorado and don't get to come home too often. So the whole family was getting together. McD and I arrived first. That won't happen again. We are sitting there visiting when she tells me I just have to see the article she found in her magazine. Just HAVE too!

I do not know what to expect because this was out of the ordinary. But nothing is ordinary with her. She flips through the pages. Finds the article. Hands it to me. Then she sits back and starts telling me all about it, as I am trying to read it.

I wish I could remember the name of the article. Or the name of the SEXUAL ENHANCING Pill she thought McD, her grandson, might need. She goes on and on about how men can have multiples. I think she had the whole one page advertisement memorized. I tried to focus on the magazine. I couldn't read it. I was about to die. McD is sitting right there next to me. Oh. But when she started talking about the multiples for men, he got up and excused himself. Thanks! I had to sit there and have a 10 minute conversation about sex with his Grandmother. Not. Good. She even wanted me to tear out the page and take it home with me to check it out. I told her tearing out the internet address would be enough.

I did go to the website. You don't know this lady. I just knew she would ask me about it later. But she didn't. I wrote down all the prices. She had inquired about the price during our 10 minutes of Hell conversation. McD stops to see her almost once a week, so I sent the information with him. Just in case. She hasn't asked about it or mentioned it since. But I am the only one that she ever brought it up to. I must be special. Or do you think it is because McD is 14 years older than me? Maybe she thinks he needs help in that area. Believe me. She would be the last person I would talk to about it.

Well, Grandmother is turning 90 this week. She still drives. God help us!! Takes care of her cattle. Does her lawn work, etc. She is the sharpest knife in the drawer. She is beautiful, really beautiful. I hope I look half as good as she does when I am her age. She calls me her granddaughter, although I just married into that circus. And I love her. She is one special lady. I hope she has a very Happy Birthday. Which ever day it is.

Crazy Cat

My Mordecai LOVES sleeping in the tub! I guess it is a nice cool place to sleep.
We literally have to move him so we can take a shower.

Crazy cat!

If You're Going Through Hell

keep on going - don't slow down - if you're scared don't show it -
you might get out before the devil even knows you're there.

If You're Going Through Hell (Before the Devil Even Knows)
By Rodney Atkins

(McDreamy just knew Tim McGraw sang this song, so I searched and searched. Mr. McGraw doesn't sing it, and thanks to iTunes I found who did!)

Needless to say, this song has been stuck in my head for days!