Shopping for Halloween costumes?

Thinking about Halloween costumes already?! Well, you HAVE to stop by Cracker Barrel and check theirs out! They are WAAAAAAAY cute & pretty affordably priced. I would have never thought to go there for costumes, but they have them and they are just too adorable. They also have really neat decorations for Fall - which I'm all about that!

Happy Birthday To Two Men In My Life

We went to OKC today to spend Grandparent's Day with my side of the family. We ate lunch with my sister and her family, along with my dad, step-mom and youngest sister, Rachel. My nephew's birthday is coming up and he's having a pirate party next weekend. We won't be able to attend, so we gave him his pirate present early. It's also my dad's birthday next weekend so we celebrated that, too. We then went to see my Mom and took her to dinner at Cracker Barrel. It was a busy, but fun day ;-)

Tulsa Air and Space Museum

Our homeschool co-op took a field trip to the Tulsa Air and Space Museum today. The girls enjoyed seeing the new "kid-friendly" exhibits upstairs and had fun trying out all the simulators and sitting in the planes. We also caught a show at the Planetarium, then had a picnic lunch at a nearby park. Gotta love homeschooling ;-)

Grady Nichols concert

We went to Utica Square last night for the final night of their Summer Concert Series. We saw Grady Nichols, who is one of Steve's favorites - I like him, too, but Steve's more into jazz than I am. It was a nice night for an outdoor concert & we look forward to going again next summer!

Our "usual" spot - right in front of Starbucks ;-)

It's safe to say the girls aren't into jazz. Toby Mac is more along their line of music. Here they are trying not to be bored so they decided to put their chair covers on their heads. Good thing some of their friends showed up later that night ;-)

Making a new friend. "A" really wanted to take him home. Please, Daddy, can we have one?!

One of the many penguins at Utica Square - of course, they chose the pink one to have their picture taken with.

Flashback Friday

"M" was born a month before my sister's wedding and she was the first grandbaby born on my mom's side of the family. If my grandmother was alive today, she'd have 9 grandkids!

Tostones

As I mentioned in a previous post, we have started learning Spanish this year as part of our homeschooling. I love it because it's hands on - complete with crafts and recipes. Well, today we got to cook "Tostones". It was fun to try something new and get some "culture" in us ;-)

Here's the recipe in case you want to try it at home...

Ingredients & Utensils:

* Plantains

* Cooking Oil

* Salt and/or powdered sugar

* Frying pan

* Spatula

* Knife

* Mug with flat bottom

Peel the plantains

Slice into thick slices

Fry in oil

Brown plantains then turn over

Place plantains on paper towel and allow to cool. Then smash the plantains with a mug.

Fry the plantains a second time on both sides. Do not burn.

Sprinkle with your choice of salt or powdered sugar. (We liked salt the best.)

Eat and enjoy!

Milk of Magnesia Mess

As I mentioned in my previous post, I've been sick this week. I've got a stomach bug, possibly e-coli. Not fun - wouldn't wish it on anyone. Hey - I'm a poet and didn't know it. Okay, I must be feeling a little better.

Anyway, the doctor told me yesterday to take Milk of Magnesia. Yuck, yuck, double yuck. So I'm in the bathroom getting ready to shake the bottle and apparently the lid wasn't on very well. Milk of Magnesia went everywhere! All over me, the cabinets, mirror, door and floor - everywhere. Apparently I needed a good laugh.

Beanie Baby Olympics

I've been sick this week so the girls have had to get creative in their playtime since we've been stuck at home. So, they came up with the idea of having a "Beanie Baby Olympics".



"M" read the following opening statements (which she wrote as part of her schoolwork): "Those who are competing in the Beanie Baby Olympics are Meco (from Mexico and 5 times Champion), Fuzz (from Oklahoma and 3 times Champion), Kicks (from Iowa), and Princess (from Texas and 2 time Champion)."


Reciting the Pledge of Allegiance


Carrying the Egg on a Spoon Race

The winners were awarded medals that were actually given to the girls for Dance and the Library Reading Program ;-)

Goodbye summer, hello fall!

I am so ready for Summer to be on it's merry little way and for Fall to move on in! I can't wait to break out the sweaters & bring down the Fall decorations from the attic! I made this Fall swag last night & I have a few more Fall "projects" to work on this weekend. Steve said football season starts tomorrow - believe it or not, I did NOT know that ;-) It's no secret, I'm not a sports fan - HGTV's more my style - but I do love to hear football in the background. It just reminds me of cooler weather & Fall is just around the corner!

Here's a few links to some fun Fall crafts and projects...

Fall Vegetable Gardens for Beginners

Fall Wall Tapestry

Fall Decor Crafts w/Martha Stewart

Not So Spooky Halloween Crafts w/Family Fun

Great Decorating Ideas for Fall

Fall Decorating with HGTV

Fall Decorating Tips

Girls Club

The girls went to Girls Club this past Monday and had a blast! They are learning crocheting, cake decorating and life skills that are valuable for girls to know to prepare them to be keepers of their home someday. Can't wait until next month's meeting!

Wordless Wednesday - Modern Toilet Eatery

I Will Survive

Enya Playlist

I decided to change my playlist to something a little more mellow so I created this Enya playlist. Hopefully it doesn't put you to sleep ;-)

Kick that ball!

This past Friday, our homeschool Co-Op had P.E. in our backyard. The kids had a great time and the moms got a chance to visit while the kids played. They were led in stretching exercises by Ms. Cindy and Ms. Margo and then they played a few rounds of kickball. It was lots of fun!

Mom's night out

This past Thursday night, I went out to eat with the "birthday gang" to celebrate my friends, Christine & Heather's, birthdays - happy birthday girlies ;-)

We ate dinner at P.F. Chang's in Tulsa then we went to an outdoor concert at Utica Square to hear the Midlife Crisis Band - and yes, I had just heard them play the week before at the Riverwalk in Jenks. They play all the great rock and roll songs from the '60's and '70s and we got a kick out of watching the 40 and 50 somethings dancing to tunes from the Rolling Stones and Beatles. Wait a minute - 40 & 50 somethings?! That's me in less than 2 years! Oh my - I'll be up there dancin' with them soon.

Flashback Friday

These pics are too funny. They were taken at my 9th birthday party which was a skating/sleepover party. Oh to be young again! And check out that red jumpsuit - that's some major fashion goin' on ;-)

Wordless Wednesday - Origami spider

Dawn's Fun Meme

Go to http://www.google.com/. Type in your name and then the word "needs". Pick 5 off the first 2 pages.

Christy needs...

1. to blog. Oh really? I'm sure my family would beg to differ.

2. to breed, breed, breed. Sorry - Steve fixed that issue.

3. an intervention. I know, I know! I spend too much time on the computer. I need help.

4. her own series. I'm thinkin' HGTV ;-)

5. a new makeover. Yes, it's sad but true. I've worn the same blue mascara since high school & I've had basically the same make-up routine since college. Mary Kay would cringe to know I sleep with my make-up on. I have no idea what's in style even though I have a degree in Fashion Merchandising. Feel free to nominate me for What Not To Wear. I'm thinkin' I could spend $5,000 pretty quickly and put it to very good use.

Obama vs. McCain - The Rick Warren Interviews

Since this is my blog, I have the opportunity to share my thoughts on political events and can say whatever I please ;-) I apologize ahead of time if I offend anyone and feel free to share your own comments on your own blog if you don't agree with me ;-)

I mean no disrespect to Obama supporters, but I think McCain did a great job last weekend when he was interviewed by Rick Warren for Fox News. Typically, Obama is thought of as the one who gives great speeches, but when it came to answering tough questions, he really seemed to beat around the bush. He would ramble on and on without answering a question directly.

On the other hand, I felt like McCain answered the questions directly and without hesitation. I also agreed with most of his views and think that by far he would be a better president - even though we all know that the president really doesn't have that much power and is ruled basically by lobbyists and those in Congress.

I know many people don't agree with McCain's conservative view on marriage & abortion, but a precedent has to be set on what's right and wrong. We were having dinner with friends last night and one of them said, "If we don't set that precedent, what's going to stop me from going over to my neighbor's house and killing him because he didn't mow a straight line bordering his yard and mine?!" (I have that in quotes but I couldn't remember exactly what he said. That's just the gist of it!) I tend to agree. The law states killing is illegal, but why is it okay to kill a fetus? Rules or laws have to be set that establishes right from wrong. God originally set up marriage between one woman and one man and life begins at the point of conception. Those are facts. Period.

Since I like to keep my blogs short, I'll end my opinions here ;-) So how do you feel the interviews went?

Midlife Crisis at the Riverwalk

We saw the band, Midlife Crisis, last night at the Riverwalk Crossing in Jenks. With the exception of the cigar smokers sitting directly behind us, it was a perfect night out! The air was cool and the band sounded great belting out hits from the '70s. We also ran into friends which was an added bonus ;-)