Soon.

Maybe this describes me the past few weeks.

Maybe it doesn't.......

I've not had writer's block...

(I don't think)

Sorta

Thanks to all my friends who

have sent "Miss You!" messages.

Got just a few more things to do

and

I'll be back in the computer chair again!!

Oatmeal and Crisco

Casey and I watched a movie a couple of days ago called "Julie and Julia".

Seen it?

It's a true story about a young wife who decided to cook through

Julia Child's Italian Cookbook in a year.

Her blog was huge and evidently the world was fascinated 'cause she had a million followers.

For the life of me, I could never imagine such an attempt because I don't like to cook.

I am no good at it and I'm also a bit of picky eater.

Blogging about cooking is best left up to my good friend Kendall.

Hurry!

visit Kendall here and join in the giveaway contest!

Making Becky blog about cooking would be as painful

as making me blog about

tractors or

sewing or

bee-keeping or

hangnails...

BUT.

I woke up Saturday morning with this recipe on my mind.

I distinctly recall copying this very recipe as I sat in 9th grade

Home-Ec at Southside Jr High

These oatmeal cookies were my all-time fave.
Probably because it had a cup of this.

A CUP of shortening!!
Remember friends, that the BAD kind of fats are the kind
that solidify at room temperature.
So the reason we did not instantly keel over with a heart attack after
one of my oatmeal cookies is because our bodies are warmer than room temp.
Thank goodness the Crisco continues to sludge around in our arteries rather
than plug one of them up.


I had to dig my sifter out from somewhere.
Showing off my stuff like Kendall does.
Uh-oh. Kitchen intruder.

(Actually,..Casey's the best cook in our house)

I rolled half the dough into balls for cooking

(as directed).
I ate the other half

(not directed)

I'd show the finished product but got too busy and didn't photograph it.

So there you have it.

Inspired.

The first and probably last post that will ever appear here related to my cooking.

Back To Blogging

Did I ever show this picture? This is Casey's half-brother.

They found each other a couple of years ago

and I'm fascinated by how alike the look and act.

Abby's close band friend, Amy (on your left)

Casey's good friends.
The one she is hugging also loved and was loved by Jae as well.
Below are my squillion year old friends.
Been together since Jr. High.

This young thing below is one of my NEW friends.
Teri works with me in my educational role at the hospital and is also one
the best ICU nurses that ever cared for a patient.

No excuses.

I've been busy but just not on this site.
I've been emailed and called by several friends to start again and I'll tell ya that it makes me feel warm and fuzzy to know I've been missed.


Here's a few things on my mind:


*******

Casey made some cupcakes the other night that looked exactly like big rats.
On purpose.
I requested that she cover them up during the night.
She also made a pound cake which she didn't like 'cause she says "It tastes like butter".
Does that make sense to you?

*******

Abby has been a competing fool. Her band has already marched in 4 competitions and did "the big one" this past Saturday. They consistently get excellent ratings and do "Elvis" proud as they play his songs.
She also is in drama "compet". Poetry, mime, improv, etc.
Her first event got her all revved up for more. Good thing because she is scheduled for one a month until summer!


*******

Abby had to write her very own personal "Declaration of Independence" for an history assignment. It was great fun to do with her. One of her declarations was to "declare herself free from ever singing again the old hymn "To The Work". Know that one?

It encourages us all to worketh and cometh and is filled with loooooooong awkward pauses.

I'm so inspired.


*******

Ralph and I entered into negotiations and finally purchased a small piece of land.

I spent a few minutes walking it a day or two ago and am positive that the last 5 tornadoes in Pulaski County deposited every piece of loose debris directly onto that small half acre of land.

Oh! It also has a storm cellar.....

Filled to the brim with water.


Ralph has kinda not paid attention to me when I told him how ridiculously junked up the place was. This afternoon, he sent me a text message which said:
You win.
We need a bulldozer.
I had no idea.


*******

The burn ban here in this county is ruining my life.
As we traveled to Jonesboro the other day, the farmers in that area were burning their fields.
Legally.
I think I need to buy a farm.
1000's of acres were burning.
Big Beautiful Flames and good-smelling smoke.
I rolled my window down for a whiff and sent up a prayer for a deep drenching long rain in our neck of the woods.

See?
God cares about stuff like that!
It rained for 36 hours just this week.


*********

The first street you come to as you enter Jonesboro is called "Wimpy Avenue".
None of the men (or women!) in my family could or would ever live there.



********

A note of good news:
Sunbeam makes an electric blanket with no brain.
It gets warm when you tell it to.


************

A note of bad news:
Yesterday I saw two cats in my barn.
Folks,..that's real bad.
B.C. can stay because he/she has learned to take care of him/herself but I'm gonna sic Ralph's hairy daughter on the other one.

*********

My spiritual journey trivia:
I'm working on Leadership and Management skills in my professional life and it just so happens that I am also studying the book of Joshua.
That man was some kind of great leader!

I'm also reminded why I could never come to grips with the theology that says that
"God is a peaceful and loving God. He would never let something like______ happen".
Joshua is a wonderful story of God's provision and faithfulness but it's also an absolutely brutal and bloody book.

AND by the way,...

The book of Joshua starts with God telling him to "Take the shoe off his foot".
huh?
Did Joshua only have ONE FOOT?
Well THAT would be mean, wouldn't it, for God to then tell him to go MARCH around Jericho!?!


*****

It's good to be blogging again.
I've missed you.

Amanda is in Heaven

Please pray for Amanda's family, the precious young girl whose family blog has been linked

to mine for a couple of years.

Amanda's life has been so inspiring to me during her illness , especially during

these past few hard months.

It's comforting to me that she and Jae may meet each other soon.

I wish I knew how all that works.

My heart breaks for Amanda' family.

My heart still breaks for mine.

"I thank my God for every remembrance of you"

Philippians 1:3

Where Have I Been?

I could tell you that I've not blogged because I've been too busy.
It wouldn't be true.

I could say that I've not blogged much recently 'cause I've been depressed about my job issues.
Nope. That wouldn't be true either.

Maybe I haven't blogged because I've had writer's block?
(What is that anyway? Writer's block? I think you have to be a real writer to have "writer's block".)
That rules me out.
No writer's block for me.

How about, I haven't blogged because my Internet went out for almost a week?
Yep. True.
Internet usually goes off anytime the modem gets beat to crumbs. (not me)

Here's a few other (true) reasons :

Cleaning house. (DEEP cleaning house)
(No. I absolutely will NOT come clean yours)
Searching for a new job.
Going to band competitions and practices and games. (the North Pulaski band rocks!)
Mucking horse stables. (Did you know the average horse poops every two hours?)
Chasing horses that get out of old fences.
Watching Fox News.
Reading.
Sleeping late three mornings in a row. (Heaven!)
Oreos.
Watching my mom's dog (full time. Bad doggy)
Porch swinging.
Texting. (I'm slow)
Watching Spike TV shows about police chases.
Shopping for landscape plants to purchase, plant and kill.
WalMart.
Church.
Long talks with Abby and Casey.
Wondering what Jae Lynn is doing in Heaven right now.
Watching home movies.
Wondering where time goes.
Planning my cruise to the Bahamas.
(Not true)

Gggrrrr.....

I've spent some time this weekend working on different layout options for this blog and accidentally lost the entire section of all my friends blog links!

I'll hopefully get 'em back on here, but it will take a couple of days to gather them all up!

Merry Christmas To Me

One of the best gifts I am receiving this Christmas is a new look to my blog! Ralph does not understand my desire to blog,..but as usual, he throws his support behind everything I do! He encouraged me to shop around online, find a designer and he would pay!

I've been wanting (for a long time) some ways to communicate Jae's story as well as the information about the "3 Cheerleaders" projects and events. All of my pages/links will be "under construction" for awhile.

A big Arkansas THANK-YOU to Becky at "The Cutest Blog on the Block!" Girl, You rock!

Dummy Blogger

I bought a new book this weekend. My plan was to take a picture of it so I could show you .
However,...my camera is nowhere to be found.

You've probably seen similar ones. My new book is entitled "Blogging for Dummies".
Some of it is way too complicated (hee hee).

It has shown me new ways to do things:
**how to link to other posts of mine (like you just did in the first paragraph!)

**How to strike through words.

**underline? I can now do it by editing my html! (whatever that stands for)

**create bullets lists:

I hate cats

Cats irritate me

I especially don't like house cats.

Of course, you already know that I can add a video link:





However,...the main thing that this book tells me,...THE MAIN THING, they yell say over and over,..is to write things that people want to read.

I think that one reason people enjoy blogs is because they connect us to one another. We don't always slow down enough to really communicate, fellowship and enjoy one another.


Get this,...Abby calls blogging a "myspace for old people".
I answered by wagging my head, rolling my eyes and saying valleygirl style,...What-everrrr"!