Preschool

Ella will soon be a big girl preschooler! We have been a little (ok, a lot) unhappy with the amount of TV that she is watching at her current in home daycare. After going to observe the class and talk with the teacher, we were finally able made the decision to move. Ella is pretty excited about being a 'big girl' and going to school. She even asked if she could go this morning!

I be kneading

This weekend I got a wild hair and decided to make some bread. From scratch. Fo' real! I have no idea why, but I did. I found a recipe for Oatmeal Toasting Bread that sounded good and relatively easy. Pretty darn nice if I do say so myself (for a novice...)!

And it tastes as good as it looks! I actually enjoyed the kneading part. It was kind of theraputic and a good work out too!

Snow Bunny

One little bit of snow + one little girl = one excited cold little girl!

So sweet and innocent... and then throwing snow on her dear, loving mother.

Eating a little (white) snow.

Mmmm. Hot chocolate.

Once in a blue moon

It doesn't happen very often, but eeevery few years David and I get all dressed up and surprise people with how nice we can look! This past weekend was the wedding of Tony and Janet and I seized the opportunity to get all dolled up. David agreed to wear something other than starched jeans as a birthday present to me. Woo hoo!

Unfortunately, the batteries in my camera died after the first picture of me with Tony. Ugh. Not to be deterred, I had Kristina take our picture once we got home!

Friday Funnies

I got these cartoons in an email that I couldn't resist sharing. Some are a little risquee, but damn funny, none-the-less! Tee hee hee!

Happy Birthday!

My good friend Andria, mother to little Dellaina (who is the cutest one year old I know), from over at Andrias Random Thoughts is celebrating her 28th birthday today!

Happy Birthday to my fellow capricorn! Aren't we just great?! And so humble!

Two of my favorite girls

Chief

My Grandaddy, aka the chief, underwent some major surgery today. He is recovering now and I would love it if everyone sent their well wishes and good thoughts his way.

He is the Cham-peen of most things and this was no exception. I hear he battled through not only like a chief but a real warrior as well!

RC Cola and a Moon Pie

Look what I got for my birthday from one of the guys at work!

I just laughed and laughed! I thought it was very creative and appropriate (in the eyes of a Kansan). He said he looked for a RC Cola but to no avail. Turns out it was the closest thing to cake that I would get, but that's OK. We are going to a fancy schmancy wedding this weekend and I will just have my cake there!

I'm so ashamed

Normally I would refrain from posting this because it exposes my inner nerd, but today is special and y'all will have to forgive me for it. In true Stacey Blomquist (English teacher from 9th grade) fashion, I present to you:

ALL PUNS INTENDED

1. Two antennas met on a roof, fell in love and got married. The
ceremony wasn't much, but the reception was excellent.

2. A jumper cable walks into a bar. The bartender says, "I'll serve
you, but don't start anything."

3. Two peanuts walk into a bar, and one was a salted.

4. A dyslexic man walks into a bra.

5. A man walks into a bar with a slab of asphalt under his arm, and
says: "A beer please, and one for the road."

6. Two cannibals are eating a clown. One says to the other: "Does this
taste funny to you?"

7. "Doc, I can't stop singing 'The Green, Green Grass of Home."
"That sounds like Tom Jones Syndrome."
"Is it common?"
"Well, It's Not Unusual."

8. Two cows are standing next to each other in a field. Daisy says to
Dolly, "I was artificially inseminated this morning." "I don't believe
you," says Dolly. "It's true; no bull!" exclaims Daisy.

9. An invisible man marries an invisible woman. The kids were nothing
to look at either.

10. Deja Moo: The feeling that you've heard this bull before.

11. I went to buy some camouflage trousers the other day, but I
couldn't find any.

12. A man woke up in a hospital after a serious accident. He shouted,
"Doctor,doctor, I can't feel my legs!" The doctor replied, "I know you
can't - I've cut off your arms!"

13. I went to a seafood disco last week...and pulled a mussel.

14 What do you call a fish with no eyes? A fsh.

15. Two fish swim into a concrete wall. The one turns to the other and
says,"Dam!"

16. Two Eskimos sitting in a kayak were chilly, so they lit a fire in
the craft. Unsurprisingly it sank, proving once again that you can't
have your kayak and heat it too.

17. A group of chess enthusiasts checked into a hotel, and were
standing in the lobby discussing their recent tournament victories.
After about an hour, the manager came out of the office, and asked them
to disperse. "But why," they asked, as they moved off. "Because," he
said, "I can't stand chess-nuts boasting in an open foyer."

18. A woman has twins, and gives them up for adoption. One of them goes
to a family in Egypt, and is named "Ahmal." The other goes to a family
in Spain ; they name him "Juan". Years later, Juan sends a picture of
himself to his birth mother. Upon receiving the picture, she tells her
husband that she wishes she also had a picture of Ahmal. Her husband
responds, "They're twins! If you've seen Juan, you've seen Ahmal."

19. Mahatma Gandhi, as you know, walked barefoot most of the time,
which produced an impressive set of calluses on his feet. He also ate
very little, which made him rather frail and with his odd diet, he
suffered from bad breath...This made him.... (Oh, man, this is so bad,
it's good).... A super-calloused fragile mystic hexed by halitosis.

20. And finally, there was the person who sent twenty different puns to
his friends, with the hope that at least ten of the puns would make them
laugh. No pun in ten did.

Ceeeelebrate Good Times!

Happy Birthday to me!

Big 2-8! Good grief, I'm on the downhill slide to 30. Eeek! It is yet to be determined if I will feast on cake today (although, it is my personal philosophy that everyone should have cake on their birthday). I have been know to purchase my own cake before and I just might do it today because, well, it's my birthday and I can do whatever I want!

Here's a little birthday proof, Grandaddy style, that goes to show that this year will be a great one!

01/10/1979 the big day

0+1+1+0+1+9+7+9= 28 (how old I am!)

2+8= 10 (10th!)

1+0=1 (January!)

And so it is. Do I smell cake?!

Higher Education

OMG y'all! I have just discovered this in the course catalog here at K-State.

ENGL 440 Harry Potter's Library

Section A: T 7:05-9:55--K. Westman

This course examines the Harry Potter phenomenon by reading the Potter novels themselves and the works of J. K. Rowling's antecedents (such as Thomas Hughes), influences (E. Nesbit, C. S. Lewis, Roald Dahl), and contemporaries (Philip Pullman). We will approach these works from a variety of critical perspectives, and we will also consult selected secondary sources. Before the first class, you must have read the first two Harry Potter novels: Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone and Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets. Success in this course depends upon careful reading and participation in our discussions. Quizzes, postings to an electronic bulletin board, a paper, a mid-term exam, and a final exam. English 440 is a General Education course.

How do I enroll?!?!

Chomp

The SEC did it, ladies and gentlemen! We watched every minute of the rout and were so pleased! Where in the world did the Ohio State defense go? Do I care?

I'm sure that the next GA/FL game will be insufferable. Just as my dear friend Nik, a Gator fan from way back, will be. (She was insufferable at times when we were roommates, fresh off Florida's last Championship!) I was true to my pledge to keep it in the family and cheered for the SEC and thus Gators. I even sent Niki a congratulatory text at halftime!

We have several graduate students and faculty who are alums of Ohio State. I've gotta go see if I can find any of them and casually mention the game... Maybe I'm the insufferable one over here in Big XII land!

Christmas Vacation

Yea! The camera made it!

Here is a real quick like review of the big Christmas Vacation (BTW: Christmas Vacation: One of the funniest movies ever made!).

First stop: Watkinsville, GA at Aunt Sissy and Uncle Rusty's house.

Bath time at Aunt Sissy's

Big trampoline/bungee thing at the mall that E LOVED

Before Santa's arrival

Stocking loot

Tree loot

She went for the shoes first (smart girl!)

Pointed toe excitement!

As if there weren't enought gifts to be had in Athens, we headed over to Cedartown around lunch on Christmas day. This is when we got our first taste of not all the stuff fitting in the trunk! Little did we know we would have two more tastes of that!

There was lots of present opening in Cedartown and lots of accompanying pictures, but this one is the best.

E's a plumber - that cracks me up! Ha!

Splashing around in her new rain boots from Aunt Jamie; getting coiffed

Feeding Lonesome a Stud Muffin (horse treats from Aunt Sissy)

E's new fave book 'What's That Awful Smell?'

Kissing at the bird at Opie's retirement home

Us with Opie

Then it was off to Mom's new, fab house in Alabama. Ella got her dog fix with Mom's dog Noel.

Tug o' War

I feel like I didn't take enough pictures, especially in Cedartown and Alabama... that is SO unlike me!

Now that I have my camera back, thank goodness, I can get back to my regular posting! (Umm... you recognize good intentions, don't you?!)

Sneak Peek

My camera is still en route to my eager hands. Until it arrives, this picture from Mom's camera will have to hold you over. Aren't we just so darn cute?!

Football Fever

Hot damn, go Dawgs! We got to watch the game with Marisa and Rusty on the big HD screen which was very cool. Even cooler was the off-sides kick that set the win in motion. That was the team I had been looking for most of the season! Vanderbilt who? (Possibly the loss to Kentucky shouldn't hurt so bad since they managed to beat Clemson. Is this the start of a new day for UK?!)

Last night was one helluva Fiesta Bowl between University of Oklahoma and Boise State. Yeah, Boise State. Who knew? They certainly game OU a run for their money in one of the most exciting games I have seen in a while. And I didn't even care who won! The last quarter and OT were fantastic.

While I have never been accused of being a Florida fan, I will root for the SEC in the Championship game. Keepin' it in the family.

Comforts of Home

After living out of the south for quite some time now, I am a little more in tune to things when we go home. Little things that I wouldn't have given a second thought when I lived there. Wonderful things that I miss sorely and took slight pleasure in seeing and hearing (or even eating!) again.

I tried to keep a list in my head, but that seems to have gotten lost among other things... Here's what I can retrieve from the murky depths:

Curvy roads- Kansas isn't all flat and straight, but it's damn sure close when you compare it to Hwy 53 running through north Georgia. How out of practice I am!

Sweet tea- Flows like water. Especially at Costa's BBQ in Trussville, AL. After two refills and a to-go cup, I was in sugar induced euphoria. The chopped pork wasn't too shabby either!

"Hey, how'r y'all?"- Juust fiiiiiiiine!

Chick-Fil-A- Mmmmmmm..... Eat more chicken. With sweet tea.

UGA stickers, license plates, shirts and hats- I'm so used to looking twice when I see one in Kansas that I was looking twice all over the place in Georgia! I took the opportunity to secure my very own G sticker for my car. Don't wanna be left out!

Bologna biscuits- I kid you not. I had never seen such but at certain Alabama establishments, they seem to be popular. Only down south.

Piggly Wiggly- Grocery store of the gods. I hadn't seen a Pig in years until the drive through NE Alabama. Good stuff.

And one last thing, seen on I-65N just over the Tennessee line:

Boobie Bungalow- I think this needs no explaination.

Christmas Eve

David, Marisa and I went to the 11pm candlelight service at our old church in Athens. It's the church that David and I were married in and is one of my favorites.

I have always loved candlelight services. Granny and Grandaddy took us grandkids to the one at the Presbyterian church downtown when we were little. Although we didn't quite understand the whole meaning, I still enjoyed them (even if it was just to drip hot wax on Marisa and Joy!).

Marisa came with us to relive the good ol' days, although we refrained from getting each other with the wax. The service was very nice and culminated with singing 'Silent Night' as the candles were lit and then the whole church, illuminated by hundreds of candles, sang 'Joy to the World'. It filled me with the Christmas spirit, not of presents and bows, but of the real reason we celebrate.

As we left the church, right at midnight, it was beginning to rain and the bells were ringing gloriously. I could have stood in the cleansing rain indefinitely, listening to the bells herald the arrival of Christmas day and Jesus Christ. Joy to the world, indeed.

Withdrawal

I can't believe that it has been almost two weeks since I have posted! Part of me can believe it since sometimes things happen or I have thoughts that I want to post about. Internet service wasn't readily available during our extended vacation so I have lots of things jumbled up in my head. To try and maintain some form of sanity, I need to get these things out!

Unfortunately, in the midst of all of the activities, I left my camera at Mom's house. Oops. The big vacation roundup picture extravaganza will have to wait until my friendly mailman delivers the goods! Until then, a few other things...

Christmas in Dixie

This afternoon we are loading up the Honda and heading for the homeland for a nice long visit with the family. Even though traveling at Christmas can be stressful at times, I don't care. It's all worth it to me.

I am so excited to see everyone and get to visit for more than a day. I am even more excited for Marisa and Rusty to share in our Christmas and to see Ella on Christmas morning. This is the first year that she actually understands the concept of Santa so we should be in for a really good time!

If we don't get to see you this next week, I would like to wish you a wonderful Christmas filled with family, piles of delicious food, lots of twinkling lights, a special gift under the tree that is just what you were hoping for, a chill in the air and more joy than you can stand. I would also encourage everyone to try and make it to a Christmas Eve service at your church of choice. They are always so beautiful and will remind you why we are all celebrating this wonderful time of year.

Christmas in Dixie. It doesn't get much better than that.

Mallory's Party

This past Sunday we celebrated Mallory's 3rd birthday (which was actually the day after Ella's) with Strawberry Shortcake!

Happy Birthday to Miss Mal!

Mal didn't quite know what to think about the duck that sings and dances!

Aunt Pam can sure make a great cake!