Two Words......

Future Blackmail

Happy Birthday!

Today I am wishing my niece, Alexa, a very happy 9th birthday. I'll never forget the day she was born. Kyle and I were in college and had been to a Lynard Skynard(how ever you spell it) concert and were up very late. Molly called very early the next morning! Alexa is the one on the right. Happy bday!

Other birthdays to announce are from a fellow blogger. The chick off of The Amthor blog (we are related!) had two baby boys today. Heath and Hunter and they were both a little more than 5lbs. each. Lots of baby stuffed into that belly. They were 34 weeks, but seem to be doing well. Congrats!

I snuck off to WalMart tonight and got the rest of my stocking stuffers. Finley ran fever all day and missed her gymnastics class-we were bummed. She kept saying, "we go to nastics today." I was so sad to tell her no. Campbell slept 2 1/2 hours today, yipeeee! She was a tired girl.

Thanks to the wonderful woman at the Bring the Rain blog, I have decided to follow her in memorizing Psalm 139. I just want to do it. She is planning on having it done by January 1st. She is absolutely the most refreshing, faithful Christian woman I have ever seen. Go to her blog - she really makes you feel like you are a child of God.

Psalm 139 (NIV)
1 O LORD, you have searched me and you know me 2You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar.
3You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. 4Before a word is on my tongue you know it completely, O LORD.
5You hem me in-behind and before; you have laid your hand upon me. 6Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.
7 Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? 8If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there.
9 If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, 10even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast.
11 If I say, "Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me," 12even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.
13 For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. 14I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well.
15 My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, 16your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be.
17 How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast is the sum of them! 18Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand. When I awake, I am still with you.
19 If only you would slay the wicked, O God! Away from me, you bloodthirsty men! 20They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name.
21 Do I not hate those who hate you, O LORD, and abhor those who rise up against you? 22I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.
23 Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. 24See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

Hello Lemon-Brownie Lover

Jessica Hood - I cannot get you on your email. I don't think I have the right address. I left you a message on FF, but no response. I need your new mailing address and the correct email. Have you received any from me?????? Also, I cannot spell your new last name-yes, I'm a dork!

Sorry guys, I just needed to use this post to get in touch with my old friend, cause I know she reads it! Just so this isn't too boring of a post for you, let me tell you a few things about Jessica. Her dad was my elementary science teacher and I met her my eighth grade year when she came to live with her dad. Us small town folk got such a kick out of her carrying her purse everywhere with her in junior high. She came from Ft.Worth. Evidently people didn't leave things in their lockers there. In Iraan, you were pretty safe to assume that your stuff would be in your locker when you got back. If someone did steal something, they couldn't ever wear it or use it or you would see them in a town of 2000 people! Back to Jess. This girl had the worst nose bleed one night that I've ever witnessed! She bled like a stuck pig(my mom's saying) and she bled all over my bedspread. I think I still had droplets of blood on that spread when my mom changed it years later! Seriously, I thought she was going to have to be cauterized!!!! We roomed together our first year at Tech and boy do we have some memories. BTW, she can eat a pan of my mom's lemon brownies.

Email me, Jess!!!

Attack of the Christmas Hamster!

Today is the continuation of my Iraan Christmas weekend. I saved the best story for today. It is the perfect Monday story to help you get through the week. You will have a little grin and chuckle when you think about it all week! Let me begin by setting the scene.

My grandmother traveled to Branson last month and stopped at a local Cracker Barrel along the way somewhere in Missouri. You know how it has the neatest little toys.

This is the toy she picked. It is a little battery operated hamster that you turn on and it makes the little ball roll around. Such simple, innocent fun. I'm sure the manufacturer of this toy had no idea it could become, well let's say, a death trap for hair. Nor had they ever met a Smart offspring.

After unwrapping all of the gifts, we were all gathered around visiting and the kids were playing with their toys. Finley, all of the sudden, is hysterical and we look over at her. She has taken the hamster out of the ball(you have to take it out to turn it off and on) and the hamster is stuck to her forehead. We all laugh because it looks like a growth of fur on her head. She is still going nuts at this point. I so wish we would have grabbed the camera sooner and showed the furball stuck to her head, but I didn't.

Upon further inspection, we detect a major problem. She has rubbed the hamster in her bangs while it's little wheels were still turning. It wound all of her hair up into the wheel shaft and stopped the motor. It was still on but not turning. That hamster was attached so tight to her head, we couldn't even see her skin! She is screaming and we are having to hold her hands at this point. We don't have much hair as it is and I was hopeful that we could salvage what we do have!

At this point we have torn the body of the hamster off and only have the battery operated motor part attached. Brandi bites off one of the wheels with her teeth hoping that it would be connected all the way across. No luck. She tries to take the wheel off that had the tangled hair, but it felt like we were ripping her hair out. Finley is traumatized at this point. After ten minutes, we go to plan B. Scissors. I didn't care at this point. I snipped and it was all over.

I have the ball, the hamster body, the motor part, two spare wheels, and a lock of baby blond hair. The snipped part is not visible to the average person. It just looks like new hair growing in that is shorter that the other bangs.

The aftermath. Cita holding my traumatized two year old! She would look at the hamster and scream, "NO!!!!" Who can blame her.

No, we are civilized human beings and don't plan to sue. But I am thinking there might should be a warning label - "This toy can attack if rubbed in hair!" I have heard that those Missouri hamsters are rather dangerous. Beware.

Iraan Christmas Fun!

We had our Iraan Christmas' this weekend. On Friday night we opened presents with my parents. On Saturday night, we went into Iraan and had Christmas with Nana and my aunt and uncle. My grandfather passed away the year Slade was born and I still miss him. I brought some chocolate covered cherries this weekend in his honor. He loved choc covered cherries and we always gave him those wrapped up as a gift. He also would put lottery tickets on the tree for us. The rule was that if anyone won over $100, you had to split it. I think I won 4 bucks at the most, but darn it was fun! We did lots of eating this weekend-had mexican food on Saturday. We get tired of so much turkey so the change is always welcomed. Mom made lots of appetizer goodies Friday. I have to say that my favorite has to be the spinach dip! We lounged around in our pj's on Saturday morning. Dad took the kids and Kyle to shoot the "new" gun and to feed the goats. The kids played with their new toys all day-lots of fun, lots of memories.

My photographic child-has been since he was a baby. His favorite gifts were his space toy set, talking globe, and bug set. He seemed to play and really like his toys this year.

Finley, Me, Brandi, and Campbell at Nana's Christmas

Cita watching all the kids open their presents. I bet she's thinking she was glad I wrapped all those presents for her!!!

Slade, Kyle, and Finley. Finley does not want to stop and smile for the camera-opposite of her brother.

I love this dress from GAP. Nana bought her this one and Campbell a pink one. Check out the tights!

Mom and Dad. I think I caught dad off-guard!

We hadn't heard from Slade in a while and found him in the living room with all the bugs laid out. He was very proud of himself. The ladybugs are really cute, actually, but the ants are creepy. It reminded me of the movie, Arachnophobia!!!

Why spend all that money when you can just give them a box!

I love this picture-I might have to frame it. A mother's love.

Aunt Cindy and Campbell. My aunt is an ovarian cancer survivor and the sweetest lady you could ever meet. She teaches elementary school in Ozona. When she married my uncle in 1982, every single picture of me from their wedding had me with my feet turned out like I was standing on the sides of my feet. I was a dork, but hey, I was only 5!

Nana and Finely. I made Nana's Christmas necklace she is wearing. The green and white beads are from some of her mother's jewelry that I took apart and restrung.

My father is a typical rancher-he bought Slade a gun. Slade was scared that it would make a loud sound, hence the earmuffs.

This would be a typical photo session nowadays.

OOhhhh-the talking globe. He will officially be a geographical genius! The only two questions that he got wrong the first day were the ones that Brandi told him!!!!

The resemblance is uncanny!

Flashback Friday

Easter in Morton - 2007
Alexa, Lane, Tate, Slade, Finley

Cookie Fabulous

I saw Paula Deen do these on her cookie swap and was dying to try them. They are peppermint pinwheel cookies. How cute did they turn out! I think I might take some to the bake sale at Slade's school, but they are almost too cute to eat! These are the days I really enjoy being at home. I would never be able to do these teaching school with all the Christmas hysteria and trying to get papers graded and grades entered. I really don't have time now, but I did it anyways. Still have dirty towels to wash and the kitchen is a wreck, oh well!

They are basically a peppermint flavored butter sugar cookie. I hope they stay somewhat soft in the packaging. It was a little experimental seeing that I don't do much with actual dough that you roll out. I wasn't sure how long to cook them and how thick to cut them. I DVRed the show and watched it before I baked them this morning.

I just used my extra scrapbooking ribbon and individually wrapped the rest. I might do these for Slade's birthday party favors-maybe. They were quite time consuming. Jerilyn, aren't you proud?!?

Finley liked the results.

Second batch.

I really rolled them and chilled for two hours, really! Actually I did a double batch, but did them individually.

This is what it looks like when you have two babies to help you in a very small kitchen. I was standing in front of the dishwasher. Tight squeeze. Luckily I'm very thin to be able to fit in that spot.

After school steam releasing. Kaleb and Slade (Slade is a computer hog and looks like a giant)

Two gals, one with alot more hair than the other. Both love Mickey and Minnie Mouse. Will probably have some really good girl fights in the future, but cute as can be now. Finley and Emma.