tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-85597045961260547792024-03-05T08:56:53.374-08:00Norma Jean's JournalingNorma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.comBlogger15125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-83889312162640195952009-10-14T09:13:00.000-07:002009-10-16T11:56:01.133-07:00My First Award!<img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392495495936706594" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 156px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 149px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuvmTyrT5GnkbuPyOS-9QgkdJSpwNBAVkAyA8a0cs9w5PJGerjtalz8mOGk8oUcVr_I-ibyxgh7oaLDN1o8-lzwUdFJFhGCzg4o0oE37hjE1if7ZmJqxrjGeC0CN7uxthbIyD40oaaBOnd/s320/Overthetopaward%5B1%5D.png" border="0" /><br />I would like to thank the <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Academy</strong><span style="color:#000000;">....</span><span style="color:#000000;"><span style="color:#000000;"> </span>oops! make that</span> <span style="color:#33ff33;"><strong>Sandy</strong></span></span><span style="color:#000000;">!</span><br />How exciting! I received my <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>first</strong></span> blog award! <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Thank you</strong></span> <span style="color:#33ff33;"><strong>Sandy!</strong></span> You are such a sweet and encouraging friend. Thank you for thinking I am deserving! Now I need to follow some instructions that come with this award, which are answer the following questions, in one word <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>(eek!)</strong></span> and pass the award on to 6 others and notify them that they have received it. So here I <span style="color:#33ff33;"><strong>go</strong></span>!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">1. Where is your cell phone? beside me</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">2. Your hair? askew</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">3. Your mother? missed</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">4. Your father? smart</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">5. Your favorite food? Macaroni Grill's bread</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">6. Your dream last night? forgotten </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">7. Your favorite drink? water w/lemon</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">8. Your dream/goal? raise happy children who love God (oops! Is that more than one? ) </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">9. What room are you in? living room </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">10. Your hobby? reading</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">11. Your fear? loss </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">12. Where do you want to be in 6 years? traveling </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">13. Where were you last night? home </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">14. Something that you aren’t? boring </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">15. Muffins? yummy! </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">16. Wish list item? lap top </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">17. Where did you grow up? every where</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">18. Last thing you did? breakfast </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">19. What are you wearing? pj's</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">20. Your TV? on</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">21. Your pets? outside</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">22. Friends? precious </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">23. Your life? wonderful beyond belief</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">24. Your mood? great </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">25. Missing someone? Mom </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">26. Vehicle? truck </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">27. Something you’re not wearing? scowl</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">28. Your favorite store? TJ Maxx</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">29. Your favorite color? red </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">30. When was the last time you laughed? today </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">31. Last time you cried? Monday</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">32. Your best friend? Kerry</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">33. One place that I go to over and over? Church </span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">34. One person who emails me regularly? Kerry</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;">35. Favorite place to eat? many</span><br /><br /><span style="color:#000000;">Now to share with others!</span><br /><br />1. Taylor @ <span style="color:#00cccc;">taylorsscrap.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />I enjoy reading your blog and love the description of yourself! What a fun way to tell others about you! <br /><br />2. Breanne @ <span style="color:#00cccc;">stirredlove.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />Thanks for inspiring me in the kitchen. All your dishes look so yummy and I have printed out some that I plan to try myself!<br /><br />3. <span style="color:#00cccc;">let--it--shine.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />I enjoy all your wonderful, do-able ideas, but I think my absolute favorite thing is the quote you have on your post by Marianne Williamson. Moving and thought provoking! Thanks for sharing all your talent!<br /><br />4. Lisa @ <span style="color:#00cccc;">mooreminutes.com</span><br /><br />Love to see what you have going on over there. Your newest make over is terrific. And that poem! Thanks for passing it on to the rest of us. Think I'm going to need it on a sign!<br /><br />5. The Nester @ <span style="color:#00cccc;">thenestingplacenc.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />How clever you are! I am never disappointed by all the things you come up with! You're one of the first blogs I started following and am always looking forward to seeing what you've got up your sleeve for the next blog!<br /><br />6. Whitney & Ashely @ <span style="color:#00cccc;">shanty2chic.blogspot.com</span><br /><br />Absolutely love all your ideas and that you are a sister team! My creative juices start flowing whenever I venture on over to your site! Yours is also one of the first blogs I started following, and a favorite!Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-3611170849533937252009-10-14T07:29:00.000-07:002009-10-15T09:37:49.362-07:00Christmas Memories and Traditions<div><div>Only 11 weeks until <strong><span style="color:#990000;">Christmas</span></strong>!!!! 11 weeks people! 2 more weeks and we're out of the double digit numbers! Oh my! Well while there's still time let me share some of my favorite <strong><span style="color:#990000;">Christmas</span></strong> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>memories</strong></span> and <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>traditions</strong></span> with you.<br /><br />Growing up we really didn't have any Christmas traditions, but I do have some great memories from those days. One of my favorites is when my mom had a house full of teenage children. Teenage children that would constantly mess with the presents under the tree, shaking them, checking them out, trying to figure out exactly what was inside. Of course we never messed with our siblings gifts, we were only concerned about our own. Well this particular year Mom decided to get a step ahead of us. She <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>wrapped</strong></span> all of our <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>presents</strong></span> while we were at school one day and we came home to see them all happily sitting under the <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>tree</strong></span>. What a wonderful sight this was as we walked in the door! It took us no time at all to drop all the cumbersome things that were in our hands and <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>dash</strong></span> right over to the tree in search of our own presents. Now would be a good time to mention that during this scene Mom just sat on the couch with a sly little <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>grin</strong></span> on her face. Like greedy little scavengers we dove right under the tree and began to examine the gifts for name tags, only very quickly we realized there were none! <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>What???!</strong></span> After she stopped <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>laughing</strong><span style="color:#000000;">,</span><strong> </strong></span>Mom told us she had <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>4</strong></span> <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>different</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>wrapping</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>papers</strong></span> that she used on the presents and each child had their own, but she wouldn't be informing us which one was ours until <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>morning</strong></span>. Ugh! Well the days between then and Christmas passed and they did so with very little shaking and prodding of the presents. It wasn't very fun unless you knew which ones belonged to you. But on Christmas morning we anxiously gathered around the tree waiting for Mom to pass out our gifts with our individually chosen gift wrap. Mom started grabbing the presents and passing them out and then she grabbed them back and handed us a differently wrapped present than the first one she had issued to us. Then she just started <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>laughing</strong></span>! Again....<span style="color:#990000;"><strong>What???!</strong></span> Well as it turned out <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Mom</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>forgot</strong></span> which paper belonged to which child! So once again we were stuck with not knowing which gifts were ours. This problem was quickly remedied when Mom finally just passed us all a present and told us to open it so she would be able to tell what went where. What an absolutely unforgettable Christmas she made for us, even if it was by accident! Like I said we didn't really have any Christmas traditions, and I think we were all glad this didn't become one!<br /><br />Another great memory of mine happened when we were a bit younger, about 4th or 5th grade for me. It was <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Eve</strong></span> and Mom and Dad had sent us all off to bed. We had been there for awhile, but of course sleep would not come. The excitement of the next morning loomed in our heads and refused to let us drift off. My sister Tabby and I lay in our bed <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>wide</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>awake</strong></span>, as I'm sure my sister Ronnie and brother Randy did in their bed, waiting... Much to our surprise, we didn't have to wait near as long for some of the excitement as we thought we would, because all of a sudden we heard a <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>noise</strong></span> out in the living room. A noise that we could tell was coming from around the <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>tree</strong></span>. With wide eyes my sister and I turned to each other only to see an excited but a scared look mirrored on the other sister's face! It had to be <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Santa!</strong></span> There we lay frozen, completely unable to move because of what the prospect the noise suggested! Should we go out there? Well of course we should! With this decided, we raced anxiously to our bedroom door swung it open and quickly spotted the extra <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>presents</strong></span> that had been added to our tree, but no Santa. Randy and Ronnie arrived at the same moment. We were stunned to say the least. But the hoopla wasn't over, because as we stood there contemplating what we sooo wanted to believe to be the truth, we heard loud <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>stomping</strong></span> sounds <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>on</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>the</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>roof</strong></span>! Once again that look of <span style="color:#000000;">amazement</span>, wonder, and awe took over our faces and then one of us had the idea to race to Mom and Dad's room to see if they had something to do with this, or if it really was Santa. Into their room we raced and there they were quite comfortably laying in bed. Wow! It must have been Santa! That was the only explanation. How exciting this Christmas was for us, we have never forgotten it. Years later we just couldn't stand not knowing what had really happened, so we finally asked and wouldn't quit until they told us how they did it. Come to find out uncles can be very handy around Christmas time and are <strong><span style="color:#990000;">extremely </span><span style="color:#009900;">gifted</span></strong> when it comes to stomping on roof tops! Well done Mom and Dad!<br /><br /><br />Now for some traditions.<br /><br /><br />Well I guess the first <span style="color:#009900;"><span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> </span><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Tradition</strong></span> I remember taking part in was when I married my husband. His mother bought me my first of many <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>ornaments</strong></span> that she added to each year. This was very special to me. Not only because of my ornament, but because of my husband's. His ornaments that had been given to him over the years by his mother and grandmother became the ones we put on our <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>first</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>tree</strong></span>, along with the ornament I had been given that year. This of course is something I and my mother in law have continued for my own children. I love the memories that they renew each Christmas as we unwrap them to see what interests my children had and or what activities they participated in. It's like a <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>story</strong></span> of all their years.<br /><br />Another <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>tradition</strong></span> we have with our children is taking a picture each year with Santa Claus. I love seeing how much they have changed from one year to the next. A couple of years ago this tradition was in danger of not occurring. <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Eve</strong></span> sprang upon us before we knew it and I suddenly realized we hadn't made our trip to the mall for the picture. So into gear I went as the girls and I started <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>racing</strong></span> around to get them ready to go see Santa. Let me tell you with 3 girls, racing isn't nearly as fast as it sounds! Anyway we finally pulled into the <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>suspiciously</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>sparse</strong></span> <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>mall</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>parking</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>lot</strong></span> and walked up to the front entrance only to encounter a locked door. Immediately my mind began racing, wondering what were we going to do for our Santa picture? It was Christmas Eve for goodness sakes and there wouldn't be another opportunity to find a Santa if we didn't find one today! Then I remembered a Santa that would stand outside his home in my sister's neighborhood and pass out candy and wish a Merry Christmas to the cars that stopped. Off we raced to the next town over to hopefully find this Santa working on Christmas Eve. No such luck. I was so tempted to go up and ask this man to slip into his Santa suit for our picture, but decided I better not. Disappointingly we left without our picture and headed home. We were all out of options, or were we? Then it hit me, I knew exactly where to find a Santa and knew he was available to take a picture with us, and<span style="color:#990000;"><strong> **BONUS**</strong></span> we wouldn't even have to wait in line! I told my husband to head on back and directed him to <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Santa's</strong></span> location. When we pulled up my girls couldn't believe I was going to make them take a <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>picture</strong></span> with this <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Santa</strong></span> and I quickly let them know they had no choice because we were not going back home without a Santa picture! So as they unwillingly ambled out of the truck at the <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>GAS STATION</strong></span>, I got out my camera and readied it to take the picture. It only took a minute to situate them in front of the station's <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>window</strong></span> <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>painting</strong></span> of <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Santa</strong></span> and snap my picture. Mission accomplished, Momma happy! As soon as we all climbed back in the truck to head home, we burst out <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>laughing</strong></span>! What a <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>redneck</strong></span> Santa picture! This is one I know they will never forget and one I know my mom would appreciate. Sounds so much like something she would have done! Just in case you're wondering we have continued going to the mall Santa for our pictures since then, but I won't ever forget where to find a Santa should I get in another bind! </div><br /><div>This is linked to Redwriting's Twelve Weeks of Christmas. You can check out some more Christmas memories and traditions here:</div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nF-ybClkZhOh4w_uEfv_Be6k2RXUqlLQOxd2y2Qxix7Hzo6ZX6txwwUnEyriUWuRDHeAQujY53Ad1bfqDnt0QaBpLZ1J3FS-b62loznm13YNMErNv6qeD7JSUSYXsW1_AnqR2CBmTMEr/s1600-h/twoc%5B1%5D.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392866323123793394" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2nF-ybClkZhOh4w_uEfv_Be6k2RXUqlLQOxd2y2Qxix7Hzo6ZX6txwwUnEyriUWuRDHeAQujY53Ad1bfqDnt0QaBpLZ1J3FS-b62loznm13YNMErNv6qeD7JSUSYXsW1_AnqR2CBmTMEr/s320/twoc%5B1%5D.png" border="0" /></a></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk1seHDfRDSjpRzsPZxbMEoGOsvrhyPQfoHoUk96lHFEwF9a_jUI7zUZXXKXt4uJg7q6lNHxgwz721bmiZkd_w4oYAaH5tS1GkKG1eSgSrofgeS5KKg9p8TenxEpLC3pBu2Btdylv7oR/s1600-h/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392866333753660322" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk1seHDfRDSjpRzsPZxbMEoGOsvrhyPQfoHoUk96lHFEwF9a_jUI7zUZXXKXt4uJg7q6lNHxgwz721bmiZkd_w4oYAaH5tS1GkKG1eSgSrofgeS5KKg9p8TenxEpLC3pBu2Btdylv7oR/s320/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png" border="0" /></a></div></div><div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk1seHDfRDSjpRzsPZxbMEoGOsvrhyPQfoHoUk96lHFEwF9a_jUI7zUZXXKXt4uJg7q6lNHxgwz721bmiZkd_w4oYAaH5tS1GkKG1eSgSrofgeS5KKg9p8TenxEpLC3pBu2Btdylv7oR/s1600-h/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png"></a> </div></div><div> </div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEijBk1seHDfRDSjpRzsPZxbMEoGOsvrhyPQfoHoUk96lHFEwF9a_jUI7zUZXXKXt4uJg7q6lNHxgwz721bmiZkd_w4oYAaH5tS1GkKG1eSgSrofgeS5KKg9p8TenxEpLC3pBu2Btdylv7oR/s1600-h/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png"></a> </div></div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-22990666026876802672009-10-09T12:14:00.000-07:002009-10-14T07:28:08.951-07:00Mom~A'~Cafe'<span style="font-family:georgia;">We've been having a lot of <span style="color:#3366ff;"><strong>rain</strong></span> lately and for quite a long time. And do you know what that means? It means my kids are stuck in the house and bored, because of the <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>wet</strong></span> & <span style="color:#663333;"><strong>muddy</strong></span> mess outside. This got me to thinking....<br /><br /><br />One summer a few years back my kids and I were at home with nothing to do. It had been this way for several days and I could tell by just looking at them they were extremely bored. I hated this for them, because I knew they didn't have the same options for <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>summer</strong></span> entertainment that I did as a child. You know the ones I'm talking about, when you could hop on your bike and head on over to your friend's house and let the fun begin. We would stay out most of the day, just riding around <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>laughing</strong></span> and finding all kinds of things to do and <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>adventures</strong></span> to set out on. Once I remember stumbling upon a <span style="color:#ffcc33;"><strong>secret</strong></span> basketball court that was located in our back alley way. What a find! There was also the creek in town that had a great pond for swimming in when we were little and a dam that we enjoyed as we grew bigger and became better swimmers. None of these things are choices that my girls have. Granted, I'm sure if they used their imaginations they could have come up with something on their own, but I decided they needed a jump start. That's when I came up with <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Mom-A'-Cafe'.</strong></span><br /><br /><br />First thing I did was go into the kitchen to take an inventory of the food we had on hand and see what kind of <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>fun</strong></span> recipe I could come up with. It had to be something that they had never eaten, so that it would be<span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong> special</strong></span>. I started putting it all together and when I finished I decided that the food needed presentation. You know it had to be fancied up in some way, so I added a little <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>"something-something"</strong></span> to make it more fun. Then I found the cute/fancy little plates and cups we never use and put the food on them. I also spritzed up their drinks as well. It was just sprite, but when I added a couple of sliced <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>strawberries</strong></span>, and it became a beverage to get excited about.<br /><br /><br />Well after all of this I called the girls and told them I needed them to go and sit outside at the patio table. I donned my apron and went out to tell them in a very <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>silly</strong></span> voice <strong><span style="color:#009900;">"</span><span style="color:#ffcc33;">Welcome</span></strong> <strong><span style="color:#00cccc;">to </span><span style="color:#990000;">Mom~A'~Cafe'</span><span style="color:#009900;">"</span></strong>, and proceeded to inform them about the special of the day. I'll admit that at first they gave me a couple of strange looks, but then they decided to join in on the fun. Well of course they all wanted the special so I served them and continued to go back and forth to refill their drinks, check on them and then bring them the special dessert of the day.<br /><br /><br />I don't think they'll ever forget this and I know they look forward to the days that I <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>surprise</strong></span> them with another <strong><span style="color:#990000;">Mom~A'~Cafe'</span></strong> day. They have even requested it several times since then. Another neat thing to come out of all of this is that they have also done one for <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>me</strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">!</span><br /><br /><br />So now I'm always on the look out for unique <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>kid</strong></span> recipes and I save them up for those times when I think my girls could use a <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Mom~A'~Cafe'</strong></span> kind of day.<br /><br /><br />I would love to know about any <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>recipes</strong></span> you have that would be great for our <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Mom~A'~Cafe'</strong></span>. Here are some of the cute little recipes I've used before.<br /><br /><br />To view a picture for this recipe you can go to <span style="color:#3333ff;">familyfun.go.com</span> It is super cute and a perfect kid food! They have a lot of great recipes here.<br /><br /><span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Arctic Oranges</strong></span><br /><br />RECIPE INGREDIENTS:<br />4 oranges<br />4 cups orange juice<br />4 cherries<br />1. Cut the tops off the oranges in a zigzag pattern. Hollow out the insides, remove the seeds and combine in a blender with the juice. 2. Set the rinds in a muffin tin and fill with the mixture. Drop a cherry inside each orange. Freeze for 2 to 3 hours. Soften the treats for 5 minutes, then serve. Makes 4.<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIkeWsACCVBrN8VsdsWgg-Z9lzHgoDPjIwOywrEy5HnbBRykwz3hd90zR0c1Dh7qSMAGnbjXLiG2yxwIiaBjeUyLglcBLxLGJhu5JBsXOfQjV9w2yX1vj0qs0SIqE9rQisakI_GQ39m59/s1600-h/Ranch_Ham_Roll-Ups%5B1%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392444714420252818" style="WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 198px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgvIkeWsACCVBrN8VsdsWgg-Z9lzHgoDPjIwOywrEy5HnbBRykwz3hd90zR0c1Dh7qSMAGnbjXLiG2yxwIiaBjeUyLglcBLxLGJhu5JBsXOfQjV9w2yX1vj0qs0SIqE9rQisakI_GQ39m59/s320/Ranch_Ham_Roll-Ups%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br /><span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Ham and Cream Cheese Spirals</strong></span><br /><br />1 package ham<br />1 container cream cheese, softened<br />flour tortillas<br /><br /><br />Spread desired amount of cream cheese onto the flour tortillas. Layer slices of ham according to how much you want. (I do more ham than cream cheese for my kids.) Roll tortilla, then slice.<br /><br />There are many variations for this recipe that you can find on the internet, but for my kids I just keep it simple.<br /><br /><br /><br /><br />You can also view a picture for this next recipe at <span style="color:#3333ff;">familyfun.go.com</span>. It's another very cute recipe that the kiddos will love!<br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Grapefruit Gals</strong></span><br /><br /><br />RECIPE INGREDIENTS<br />Grapefruit<br />Grapes (for hair and eyes)<br />Maraschino cherry (for nose)<br />Raisins or banana (for mouth)<br />1. Arrange red or green grape clusters around the top for hair. 2. Add red grape eyes, a maraschino cherry nose and a big grin made of raisins or bananas.<br /><br /><br /><br /><span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Fruity Peanut Butter Pitas</strong></span><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1MPeEUGmJGnCxLsEDL6OpoO0fYd6z0ecCyI2Mt2kCvoeIAWHL8B0GAVdcWiDaub3a07bp3SqeGQesB_U3F-GGGpgZkaw-lVdTQkGqEPBPzvimu-PSeZCXNXdKEbna2iL-HjTinYlRGf6/s1600-h/images%5B1%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family:georgia;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5392444723408614130" style="WIDTH: 140px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 121px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgo1MPeEUGmJGnCxLsEDL6OpoO0fYd6z0ecCyI2Mt2kCvoeIAWHL8B0GAVdcWiDaub3a07bp3SqeGQesB_U3F-GGGpgZkaw-lVdTQkGqEPBPzvimu-PSeZCXNXdKEbna2iL-HjTinYlRGf6/s320/images%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:georgia;"><br /><br />1/4 cup of peanut butter<br />1/8 teaspoon each; ground cinnamon, allspice and nutmeg<br />1 whole wheat pita bread cut in half<br />1/2 medium apple, thinly sliced<br />1/2 medium firm banana sliced<br /><br />In a small bowl, blend the peanut butter, all spice, cinnamon and nutmeg. Spread inside pita halves; fill with apple and banana slices.<br />Yields 2 servings.</span>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-51629934357181828842009-10-07T06:01:00.000-07:002009-10-07T09:01:34.478-07:00My Grown Up Christmas Wish List<div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;">It will be here before we know it, <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> that is. My friend Keelie is having a <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>12</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>weeks</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>of</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>party</strong></span> and I'm getting in the spirit of things. Just thinking of all that is about to take place gets my head to spinning! So here is my Grown Up<strong> <span style="color:#990000;">Christmas</span></strong> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>Wish</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>List</strong></span>.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">1. That we will have the <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>tree</strong></span> up and decorated before <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>December</strong></span> gets into the <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>20's</strong></span>. Hey now, don't judge me...we live a crazy busy life in December!</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">2. That I will not be up late the night before a family <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>party</strong></span> or <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>day</strong></span> wrapping all the gifts or cooking. It would be nice to look decent in the pictures the next day, instead of sleep deprived.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">3. That I will find the <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>perfect</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>gift</strong></span> for each and everyone on my list for the <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>perfect</strong></span> <strong><span style="color:#006600;">price</span></strong> and at the <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>first</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>place</strong></span> I look for it.( Hey it's a<span style="color:#006600;"><strong> WISH</strong></span> list!) And that all the <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>shopping</strong></span> is finished at least 2 weeks before <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span>.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">4. That my family and I will have some <strong><span style="color:#006600;">wonderful</span> <span style="color:#990000;">lazy</span> <span style="color:#006600;">nights</span></strong> at home where we decide to make <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>cookies</strong></span> and drink some <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>cider</strong></span>, or play a <strong><span style="color:#006600;">board</span> <span style="color:#990000;">game</span></strong> or two, even watch a couple of <strong><span style="color:#990000;">Christmas </span><span style="color:#006600;">movies</span></strong> together. How <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>marvelous</strong></span> this would be.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">5. That there are no big toys to assemble on <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>eve</strong></span>! Well <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>maybe not</strong></span>, this just reminds me how big my children are getting, when there's no assembly required!</span><br /><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">6. That my house is clean for <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>all </strong></span>of December! It's so hard keeping it all together when it's just normal everyday things happening, it's even crazier when there's so much extra going on.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">7. That my <strong><span style="color:#990000;">daughters'</span></strong> and I have a wonderful time in the kitchen together preparing our <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>meal</strong></span>. With each daughter finding her own <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>special</strong></span> <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>dish</strong></span> she wants to add to the meal each year. Sounds a bit "<span style="color:#006600;"><strong>Little House on the Prarie-ish</strong></span>" doesn't it? Well, that's exactly what I'm going for!</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">8. That our <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>family</strong></span> can have some <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>wonderful </strong></span>and <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>precious</strong></span> <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> moments together that our daughters will always remember. The kind that put a<span style="color:#006600;"><strong> smile</strong></span> on your face just by thinking about them.</span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;">9. That my <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>family</strong></span> and I spread the true <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>meaning</strong></span> and <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>joy</strong></span> of <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> to everyone whose path we cross.</span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:arial;">To some my list may not be fun or exciting, but for me it would be about as <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>perfect</strong></span> a <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span> as there ever was.</span></div><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">If you would like to join in on the fun, you'll find it here:</span></div><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2BqiE_2MkRMt8xKJoxDdLhsRIeXPo750QIAmhIY8ZZ6vPjWdeyyKICSR1m8h-XTg5geHiiKwUAtSQh1yCAuyMp1RQM2FS5xDNDZSYHV_Vdz_BGD79LBELK7Ma9BWRa1cQMCkjnXunf4T/s1600-h/twoc%5B1%5D.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389872648057964738" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 150px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjT2BqiE_2MkRMt8xKJoxDdLhsRIeXPo750QIAmhIY8ZZ6vPjWdeyyKICSR1m8h-XTg5geHiiKwUAtSQh1yCAuyMp1RQM2FS5xDNDZSYHV_Vdz_BGD79LBELK7Ma9BWRa1cQMCkjnXunf4T/s320/twoc%5B1%5D.png" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn3wwnmPeSreWMy8BKNOjsMdiB2fvHWFqM1rAAIle5GwuNgFxtjBlxYj16UeVllJBiAW4Ut9aKGkP0ZzDzj2oU8cdH_rRRJyIbx11fQ5PPxaP7qOLEryORGfM77o6RkOzZHGXpjrgz46n/s1600-h/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5389872655678529874" style="WIDTH: 150px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyn3wwnmPeSreWMy8BKNOjsMdiB2fvHWFqM1rAAIle5GwuNgFxtjBlxYj16UeVllJBiAW4Ut9aKGkP0ZzDzj2oU8cdH_rRRJyIbx11fQ5PPxaP7qOLEryORGfM77o6RkOzZHGXpjrgz46n/s320/rwbutton%5B1%5D.png" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span></div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-82720144677401271842009-09-21T06:07:00.000-07:002009-09-22T17:01:02.327-07:00Keelie's Wreath Party!<div align="center"><br /><br /><br /></div><p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyZm6hdMP_b5IL9SFIeX5wNcE6YyzIUD9Iiio9rLx-ngOcSPsubfw3wU2UhYzFtq0Vj4qL8vfOuT-FkJGlMYF9h-fYnuv09X0CnkPVoLNyrWhni_9PuhEAFpQgCjKBodfYkYdazYk2q1p/s1600-h/wreathbutton.jpg%5B2%5D.png"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383966933318611794" style="FLOAT: left; MARGIN: 0px 10px 10px 0px; WIDTH: 197px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 200px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyZm6hdMP_b5IL9SFIeX5wNcE6YyzIUD9Iiio9rLx-ngOcSPsubfw3wU2UhYzFtq0Vj4qL8vfOuT-FkJGlMYF9h-fYnuv09X0CnkPVoLNyrWhni_9PuhEAFpQgCjKBodfYkYdazYk2q1p/s320/wreathbutton.jpg%5B2%5D.png" border="0" /></a></p><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center"> </div><div align="center">It's time for <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Keelie's</strong></span> <span style="color:#cc9933;"><strong>wreath</strong></span> <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>party</strong></span>! I have already taken a sneak peak at some of the creations and they are <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>great</strong></span>! So now it's time to display mine. I was so excited about getting started that I didn't think to take any pictures of the process, but I'll tell you how I did it. You won't even need the pics because it's not at all hard. I started out with a grapevine wreath. this one is oval shaped. Found some leafy garland in the colors I liked (<span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>red</strong></span>-how do you like that Red Writing???) and added it to my wreath. </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I2a2mW5M-K44wPTBHZWJa8v2KKYarOpwo3RNnQhg9FkOebsRX8RC5qzBbFLQbLIwP0YqHx0yd_2boqIQDtq8pnLhB4aYgXIteu-Hfpp9Lu0zejs4DbojJ-_VsNMrDBJIohNoiS0FVOjd/s1600-h/0921090849.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384428512703895058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9I2a2mW5M-K44wPTBHZWJa8v2KKYarOpwo3RNnQhg9FkOebsRX8RC5qzBbFLQbLIwP0YqHx0yd_2boqIQDtq8pnLhB4aYgXIteu-Hfpp9Lu0zejs4DbojJ-_VsNMrDBJIohNoiS0FVOjd/s320/0921090849.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Then I came across some <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>glittery</strong></span>, <span style="color:#006600;"><strong>sparkly</strong></span> <strong><span style="color:#cc9933;">thingies</span></strong> that I just couldn't pass up. Because if it glitters and shines I'm on it, </div><div align="center"><strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">just like a bug on a light at night</span></strong>! </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtPjP1yemq_F7XM0AVkyxmHnULJipuXa258Ujb5jZ2aZ4Ffy54goE2AWIZ_I7-zX-Pm17WdizXJwunCnv08W9FexBvlMoHrmyNL_ozWWQ-CdA6_9RnrHPI-Tuo9AwSWNL6ZOQcSR6m4DU/s1600-h/0921090848a.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384428521503563970" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVtPjP1yemq_F7XM0AVkyxmHnULJipuXa258Ujb5jZ2aZ4Ffy54goE2AWIZ_I7-zX-Pm17WdizXJwunCnv08W9FexBvlMoHrmyNL_ozWWQ-CdA6_9RnrHPI-Tuo9AwSWNL6ZOQcSR6m4DU/s320/0921090848a.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">These were so simple to add because they're picks that I just stuck in the wreath and then twisted the wire ends around to make them hold. </div><div align="center"></div><div align="center">Made a bow from this net looking stuff. Here's the extra that I had left over. </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUrslfqDInJvwzVY2hpBxxFMKZamVqe76AgwEUmLSd9sKhVH1sI2nn3I984kfH44LPNWGGDCA2T7tPNfzl2f9jgwN_a3507_JrOVffhkG0id1Mu7i1lUZAHWK6TVlw3uKRdJOevVd9zS6/s1600-h/0921090856.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384432726558220130" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmUrslfqDInJvwzVY2hpBxxFMKZamVqe76AgwEUmLSd9sKhVH1sI2nn3I984kfH44LPNWGGDCA2T7tPNfzl2f9jgwN_a3507_JrOVffhkG0id1Mu7i1lUZAHWK6TVlw3uKRdJOevVd9zS6/s320/0921090856.jpg" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center">Think I'm going to drape it across my dining room table and put some fall goodies on top of it. I also found a cute little feather clip that I thought would add a softer texture to the wreath and attached it to the bow.</div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKV0d7MKbsTs7yTpu7TlPImYqZtkTcK8GxPHj6rXs0WI6d2wP-muVTRSDVrxpj9CgDTVUGj5sST1Wz4cM279lX641rckdu_O1rdK0dJWFB3W4OdX7QoEBcfs97Uoe42iJ0lvKGYRCerEM/s1600-h/0921090847b.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384428504859005442" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhKV0d7MKbsTs7yTpu7TlPImYqZtkTcK8GxPHj6rXs0WI6d2wP-muVTRSDVrxpj9CgDTVUGj5sST1Wz4cM279lX641rckdu_O1rdK0dJWFB3W4OdX7QoEBcfs97Uoe42iJ0lvKGYRCerEM/s320/0921090847b.jpg" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">And last of all I tied the cross in the center of it all (that is after I super glued it back together), just to give it more of a focal point. What do you think? </div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hbtnhRRaYeG8SyDt_No_4PasHKOgliUAeb_pN_046MS-oU8VrfolvWlx2oQAVbirgwURrA3DhnUWNUI-yeHW6OVZmF7CIv-y7vU0uwPArWGW052RziIByo4_cAHAUIMjEJ6R7RpvVKhU/s1600-h/0921090850.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384428532748461554" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj3hbtnhRRaYeG8SyDt_No_4PasHKOgliUAeb_pN_046MS-oU8VrfolvWlx2oQAVbirgwURrA3DhnUWNUI-yeHW6OVZmF7CIv-y7vU0uwPArWGW052RziIByo4_cAHAUIMjEJ6R7RpvVKhU/s320/0921090850.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOaGMtuqv5fXQbhM8efbBzRsi7rkUvUSFYJsxS1gZGbNq0p_JdYktue2gb8IndIpHGqlRGmSWxD-bn8IeZHEVwdCoTdJ9wHNA3vLvH90skfVgcHwkazBfVoEVLPDPWsmcuYD6jemGKq6z/s1600-h/0921090854.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384432719228592626" style="WIDTH: 240px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhiOaGMtuqv5fXQbhM8efbBzRsi7rkUvUSFYJsxS1gZGbNq0p_JdYktue2gb8IndIpHGqlRGmSWxD-bn8IeZHEVwdCoTdJ9wHNA3vLvH90skfVgcHwkazBfVoEVLPDPWsmcuYD6jemGKq6z/s320/0921090854.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here's another fall idea you might like. I found it at: </div><div align="center">let--it--shine.blogspot.com </div><div align="center">It is located under the post "Personalized Topiaries" on Wednesday Sept. 16th. ( Apparently I have no idea how to link you directly to this page!) But nevermind that, because these are so cute, you're going to want to make the trip to her site!<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyic4CdTkbu42UvU9n6BYVgH0sJjx8nF0i7wCeKiN4sXJzVop_kn4eintKmD3PC_hUOAEW1XJQCVi6__kFj0i1dd30NAOY_zV_g1to_bDzPJCTa3XU7Byo-Aalrnwqi3cJT1T0rwAI5Nz/s1600-h/1%5B4%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5384069668063331778" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAyic4CdTkbu42UvU9n6BYVgH0sJjx8nF0i7wCeKiN4sXJzVop_kn4eintKmD3PC_hUOAEW1XJQCVi6__kFj0i1dd30NAOY_zV_g1to_bDzPJCTa3XU7Byo-Aalrnwqi3cJT1T0rwAI5Nz/s320/1%5B4%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><br />Great for fall, easy, and cute any where you put them!</div><div align="center">Thanks Keelie for all the fun!</div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com15tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-50708157667817563732009-09-17T14:08:00.000-07:002009-09-19T08:44:35.274-07:00Channing's Journal<div><div><div><div><div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Yesterday as I was cleaning up Connor and Channing's room I came across a little notepad that Channing had turned into her journal. I think it is one of the <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>sweetest</strong></span> things I have ever read! And <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>funniest</strong></span>...and most <strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">precious</span></strong>...it's one of those priceless <strong><span style="color:#33ccff;">mommy</span></strong> things.</span></div><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><div align="center"><br /></div></span><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">It's the journal that almost wasn't. You see while we were out shopping last weekend she had asked me for a notebook. I told her no, because we have several of those around the house that she can use. (And we do!) Well apparently God knew she needed that notebook. So much so that when we stopped off at McDonald's later and ordered a happy meal, there it was...the notepad was the toy in the happy meal! She was happy and I was happy that she was happy. Of course she couldn't wait to start writing in it and had me digging around in my purse for a pen the minute we got back in the truck. As I went around finishing my shopping list, she sat in the truck with Dad and began writing. And I am so glad she did. I decided I would have to scan the journal because I know that one day she will see my post and never believe she wrote this stuff! Hope it puts a big <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>smile</strong></span> on your face, like it did on mine.</span></div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnzEAz-HpBoytOJGJ_hTUjUw8zEVNVss79utGJ6U-yPxZKcQEon1lb5HqjDbJzyxKzDXKgTqeEiZdRiTLuDmHzs5EWaRGWXBH0nRVo_9_l10EFlWfJYItqplK-6X0iuT3sBcPULwdl6_z/s1600-h/channing's+journal0001+(2).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383192141767906802" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 144px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibnzEAz-HpBoytOJGJ_hTUjUw8zEVNVss79utGJ6U-yPxZKcQEon1lb5HqjDbJzyxKzDXKgTqeEiZdRiTLuDmHzs5EWaRGWXBH0nRVo_9_l10EFlWfJYItqplK-6X0iuT3sBcPULwdl6_z/s320/channing's+journal0001+(2).jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />The cute little journal. Not bad for a happy meal toy.<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCDIa_rdwfO1yCOMQKjgfAXZ6g7RzgYbVcVATU-Q4rlPQ3WPoIQKAZ9VpkhUsvr6qIIfRS5bJrXnmo6lLZN7qyin3-nlTLour61Nz5bQwPucbhevS2wmvR4bNkUXevjOPv8JsDT64VgvU/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0002+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383192151959217314" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglCDIa_rdwfO1yCOMQKjgfAXZ6g7RzgYbVcVATU-Q4rlPQ3WPoIQKAZ9VpkhUsvr6qIIfRS5bJrXnmo6lLZN7qyin3-nlTLour61Nz5bQwPucbhevS2wmvR4bNkUXevjOPv8JsDT64VgvU/s320/Channing's+journal0002+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />How cute is it that she has her entries labeled "<span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>secret</strong></span>" and "<span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>not secret</strong></span>"?</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPVRk6z92nSzaiQjzh56DgPOEMSGNfXr4mjL1ku2-Zz_l8agISdGMMHZfc8tRwxypzij2zqxc-S3ljkmhhDu6n8VE2yjoQ5atZNHUVFWhAEqbaN0gYJq71eG_vm5GYTPM0bwQzjjQllfi/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0003+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383193444306866930" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgTPVRk6z92nSzaiQjzh56DgPOEMSGNfXr4mjL1ku2-Zz_l8agISdGMMHZfc8tRwxypzij2zqxc-S3ljkmhhDu6n8VE2yjoQ5atZNHUVFWhAEqbaN0gYJq71eG_vm5GYTPM0bwQzjjQllfi/s320/Channing's+journal0003+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Ok I know what you're thinking..."You have got to get that girl a <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>bunny</strong></span> for <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>Christmas</strong></span>." Well we'll just have to see about that....</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">And I seriously didn't know the girl had so much confidence! Thank goodness she doesn't go around telling people how pretty she is. She just saves it for her journal! I absolutely <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>love</strong></span> this entry!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwhb381WkfwGZnqhAzTUA1G_QK7xtq-wIj9F9uN9NPUnNYZPdj1PuoDBnCRy9ZUkJ3619RiFjktBdmNPcmlsIzYmtWXA93Uwwm-loXON4ZfKcfpoXaO6oNSElqh6Nup1BCy8oV32Wiy5w/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0004+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383193454320431394" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 256px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwhb381WkfwGZnqhAzTUA1G_QK7xtq-wIj9F9uN9NPUnNYZPdj1PuoDBnCRy9ZUkJ3619RiFjktBdmNPcmlsIzYmtWXA93Uwwm-loXON4ZfKcfpoXaO6oNSElqh6Nup1BCy8oV32Wiy5w/s320/Channing's+journal0004+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Another display of that confidence that she has somehow kept to herself!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">What mommy's heart wouldn't melt to see the bottom entry in their child's journal? I'm sure I'll be whipping this thing out during her teenage years to remind her just how <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>precious</strong></span> we are to her!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGxmW79kJFQbnBsQkG0_Dd9snk5Shs0GTIIcAqAXR6cax-L1Ht-GuBqumtuSUp3i563WHr3y5Cqqg3Kdb0GuDrI5KKkNO0k1tfLdtEJiUHkZ_a0FUwJ1dK3SXYE22iecJ2IuIUpq3_Qf5/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0005+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383194606110627058" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 237px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdGxmW79kJFQbnBsQkG0_Dd9snk5Shs0GTIIcAqAXR6cax-L1Ht-GuBqumtuSUp3i563WHr3y5Cqqg3Kdb0GuDrI5KKkNO0k1tfLdtEJiUHkZ_a0FUwJ1dK3SXYE22iecJ2IuIUpq3_Qf5/s320/Channing's+journal0005+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now she's boosting my confidence! <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Love</strong></span> it!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgx-nCyzw5O2vNpG0vBsHoBWNHR1ivYLfANbc1WZQDKD1ZfBbNLaJG94UnWDnLNpK_x7Yd8UzMldW14ab-Th_QJZ0I-wKfa2hAgZ2uPucPXMEwKSoXvSFcFqbICFnDV6ZnwAKyZpNa2-R/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0006+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383194611945089218" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 154px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdgx-nCyzw5O2vNpG0vBsHoBWNHR1ivYLfANbc1WZQDKD1ZfBbNLaJG94UnWDnLNpK_x7Yd8UzMldW14ab-Th_QJZ0I-wKfa2hAgZ2uPucPXMEwKSoXvSFcFqbICFnDV6ZnwAKyZpNa2-R/s320/Channing's+journal0006+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">"<span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Double Secret</strong></span>"...it's getting pretty serious!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozHaQx1HdKXMn8Vcc8xXxq9kZfGpu1Bz10UfQmgSqGzFFk2l9OfO2LjXXtZVSE8acaG3Q4XHMAXGJqWKpGbtkJKSRFg4lLY9cMaVzGysVsYbIpQ9IfHmK4VPogEhsbLw7ZR_vbLDCszjq/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0007+(3).jpg"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5383194618873669122" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozHaQx1HdKXMn8Vcc8xXxq9kZfGpu1Bz10UfQmgSqGzFFk2l9OfO2LjXXtZVSE8acaG3Q4XHMAXGJqWKpGbtkJKSRFg4lLY9cMaVzGysVsYbIpQ9IfHmK4VPogEhsbLw7ZR_vbLDCszjq/s320/Channing's+journal0007+(3).jpg" border="0" /></span></a></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Now this is the one this has me <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>shaking</strong></span> in my boots! I think I better gear myself up for the teenage years!</span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Well that's all the <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>secret</strong></span>, <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>double secret</strong></span> and <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>not secret</strong></span> entries that her journal holds for now....but don't worry because now I'm off to sneak this back into her room so she can put some more intimate details of her life in here for me to share with the world!</span></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmwhb381WkfwGZnqhAzTUA1G_QK7xtq-wIj9F9uN9NPUnNYZPdj1PuoDBnCRy9ZUkJ3619RiFjktBdmNPcmlsIzYmtWXA93Uwwm-loXON4ZfKcfpoXaO6oNSElqh6Nup1BCy8oV32Wiy5w/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0004+(3).jpg"></a></div><div><br /></div><div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiozHaQx1HdKXMn8Vcc8xXxq9kZfGpu1Bz10UfQmgSqGzFFk2l9OfO2LjXXtZVSE8acaG3Q4XHMAXGJqWKpGbtkJKSRFg4lLY9cMaVzGysVsYbIpQ9IfHmK4VPogEhsbLw7ZR_vbLDCszjq/s1600-h/Channing's+journal0007+(3).jpg"></a></div></div></div></div></div></div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-87654093791598060022009-09-15T11:11:00.000-07:002009-09-15T17:38:28.256-07:00A Wreath Party and Scavenger Hunt<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NxpoXI6qj9Gck0mHIWXjDaNCOXwvmQKGvQ4B_GfjbifQ64E5FAXBOsTUtHX0cYiDFbMcFnlPQ1wTgWWusNTGy5R6foptOuyyu0potaZ6X-EyJNScguIgWdR3Pr1oZ5Hn5sD2WKhpccCX/s1600-h/wreathparty%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381759570298102978" style="WIDTH: 213px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0NxpoXI6qj9Gck0mHIWXjDaNCOXwvmQKGvQ4B_GfjbifQ64E5FAXBOsTUtHX0cYiDFbMcFnlPQ1wTgWWusNTGy5R6foptOuyyu0potaZ6X-EyJNScguIgWdR3Pr1oZ5Hn5sD2WKhpccCX/s320/wreathparty%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJqoVS2ptzCpPzhxqNLcTOM43LU_UX7jf9JlHTd_DRyev4dgsyhblmwezlN7f9WJgAdC0VRtC0x0uKT0BTdkIlx57-zNeNarvm1wu5NQJ8N1LWiOHCaW8SEbh_lfMTo6TGktZJ2FV9VII/s1600-h/diygame1%5B2%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381759566920956434" style="WIDTH: 190px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 190px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAJqoVS2ptzCpPzhxqNLcTOM43LU_UX7jf9JlHTd_DRyev4dgsyhblmwezlN7f9WJgAdC0VRtC0x0uKT0BTdkIlx57-zNeNarvm1wu5NQJ8N1LWiOHCaW8SEbh_lfMTo6TGktZJ2FV9VII/s320/diygame1%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center">I've recently discovered some new things about blogs. It's not just about reading or getting ideas, it's also about <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>playing!</strong></span> There are a couple of contests going on right now at some blogs I am following and I aim to win me some prizes!!!<br /></div><div align="center">The first one is at my friend <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Keelie's</strong></span> blog spot. <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>redswriting.blogspot.com</strong></span> Not only is she a wonderful crafter and writer but also an excited Christian who shares about her love of God. I enjoy all her posts and am sure you will too. Anyway she has this thing for fall. Loves everything about it and has even made me look forward to it. (I'm more of a summer gal.) So as a way to celebrate it's arrival she is having a "<span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>Wreath Party</strong></span>" at her site. I can't wait to showcase my own wreath and see everyone elses. I know it will all be great. If you would like to participate, just go to her blog and look for the August post titled "<strong><span style="color:#990000;">as requested</span></strong>". But hurry because it all ends on <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>Sept. 22nd</strong></span>. <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Happy Fall Y'all!<br /></strong></span></div><div align="center">Here's another great and simple idea Keelie has on one of her posts. I even picked me up some little birdies, so I can do my own interpretation of this transformation. Mine will be for Christmas.</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">She turned this</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ4XIuR-VdqLfQY8P-HI9jp97eup0sGCzkeSKN7KvF9SS_gwy4gynNIk66Iq7loe36vBplCpmg_2TQgKCQ3FKAka3TTVSOA-99M-xn4FZwyjX8a6Ogqdx43NvmSgzlgNFL073n2PYKnIX/s1600-h/074%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381769705873496306" style="WIDTH: 291px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiZ4XIuR-VdqLfQY8P-HI9jp97eup0sGCzkeSKN7KvF9SS_gwy4gynNIk66Iq7loe36vBplCpmg_2TQgKCQ3FKAka3TTVSOA-99M-xn4FZwyjX8a6Ogqdx43NvmSgzlgNFL073n2PYKnIX/s320/074%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center">into this! </div><div align="center">A simple but huge difference, wouldn't you say?<br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MbZt8XXCDddalt3m2hdfNtPpLFOCjI1INBubkdbwaSw1s9TOhLAjVO3ckhBi1xYXO7B8HHSOISspkxF0NzU_rpMNLaGR6PC50BDSMu5z6FlUhRTq7F_QI8g-2qltJ9domvOoxkcZ-5I0/s1600-h/093%5B1%5D.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381769709253649378" style="WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8MbZt8XXCDddalt3m2hdfNtPpLFOCjI1INBubkdbwaSw1s9TOhLAjVO3ckhBi1xYXO7B8HHSOISspkxF0NzU_rpMNLaGR6PC50BDSMu5z6FlUhRTq7F_QI8g-2qltJ9domvOoxkcZ-5I0/s320/093%5B1%5D.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><div align="center">On another site that is rather new to me I spotted a "<span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Scavenger Hunt</strong></span>". This lady has a lot of neat and wonderful ideas and the scavenger hunt just happens to be one of them. This hunt sends you to a lot of different blog sites to find the clues and all the while you are searching you're also encountering all kinds of wonderful ideas that you just can't wait to try. If you would like to play you can find out how at this spot: <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>thediyshowoff.blogspot.com</strong></span> The contest ends this <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Friday the 18th</strong></span>, so hurry on over. </div><div align="center"><br />Here's another favorite project I like and found at the DIY show off. Once again, simple yet makes a statement. How cute is this going to look on my front porch?</div><div align="center"><br /><br /></div><p align="center"></p><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-pbfkWzH0tuI4i5RBN1XsUdq-Z6NsMKH7lQeWmieD41Urc5TF1JKrT6IVaJa-p6-miArKOvYSKQThNJvMjycC85VW4-7OnGDpQ_IdK8kxIHyhsvXKDoAqLHtGf-uuPbBEw2IInq0iFGJ/s1600-h/0002%5B1%5D.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5381765489738620482" style="WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs-pbfkWzH0tuI4i5RBN1XsUdq-Z6NsMKH7lQeWmieD41Urc5TF1JKrT6IVaJa-p6-miArKOvYSKQThNJvMjycC85VW4-7OnGDpQ_IdK8kxIHyhsvXKDoAqLHtGf-uuPbBEw2IInq0iFGJ/s320/0002%5B1%5D.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><p align="center">You'll want to visit both of these great blogs. But make sure you have plenty of time when you do, because you won't be able to tear yourself away anytime soon!</p><div align="center"><br />I already told you there are <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>PRIZES</strong></span>, right???!!!! So what are you waiting for?!<br /></div><p></p>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-34503727845952070712009-09-11T05:50:00.000-07:002009-09-12T09:26:21.756-07:00An American Girl Birthday Party<div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">This year for Channing's 7th birthday and Connor's 11th birthday, we had an <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>American Girl Party</strong></span>. All of my girl'</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">s birthdays are very close together, so we usually celebrate 2 of the girl 's birthdays at the same party, if not all three. However, since Kerra is getting on up there (15), she had her own party. (Post to come later.) I used to get pretty creative with the parties, but here lately I was doing the fun but easy swim party. A</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">pparently too many years in a row.</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> Not so this time around, because my girls informed me they wanted </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">to do something different.</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> So now I had to come up with something new that both age groups of girls would enjoy. Knowing that Connor's group was nearing the "too old" category for this type of party, I thought I better hop to it, before it was too late. It turned out to be a lot of fun, and a lot of work. But it was sooo worth it! They loved it and that's really all that matters,isn't it?</span></div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>invitation</strong></span>.......</span></div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">I have a computer program </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">from Hallmark, that I made these with. They were cube shaped with all </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">the party info on the sides. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">I put them in a clear cellophane bag that had some black and white paisley like designs on them. (Hobby Lobby) I also added some confetti and dinner mints. (Because it was a dinner & a movie birthday party.) We used</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> a brightly colored piece of netting to tie them up with,</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> then the girls and I set off to deliver them to their friends. Of course I forgot to take a picture of them, but trust me, they were cute!</span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"><strong>location</strong></span>.......</span></div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Well I knew I needed a big space for all I had planned and access to a kitchen. That place turned out to be our town's community room. It was perfect and the price wasn't too bad either, $25.00! No that's not a typo! I even had access to it the day before, so I could begin setting things up.</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <strong><span style="font-size:130%;"><span style="color:#cc33cc;">p</span><span style="color:#cc33cc;">arty</span></span></strong>.......</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aTuYqhNjusYBIFO37h5XZ_J4k3NUo9oc1V0It2iJV48gG-GoHdxdt0V1WH9G-t0wKwK0j812HTIKsUuJQ-bKwHzkgaen8daDgZTtfcEQMHbgkcbKbLKdmFeZo6cGBGPGEBtSbOw-MHOu/s1600-h/011_11.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380275849588475026" style="WIDTH: 164px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 275px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8aTuYqhNjusYBIFO37h5XZ_J4k3NUo9oc1V0It2iJV48gG-GoHdxdt0V1WH9G-t0wKwK0j812HTIKsUuJQ-bKwHzkgaen8daDgZTtfcEQMHbgkcbKbLKdmFeZo6cGBGPGEBtSbOw-MHOu/s320/011_11.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">We were going to do it all! This was a dinner & a movie party where the girls got to do the cooking. As they walked in the door they were each given an apron with their own name on it. (Hobby Lobby on sale! My friend did the names with her sewing machine for me! What a great friend, huh?)</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfGwDL9oIpEh_0H055AoO85oX37m2PaGCjacFTyV1MVHULTzrmMT3CkcdmoToHdpwh-SMu4hr0aA0FneQTyoZ8zbju-XiCtKLvjwNFWniUS1Iq424p2rCOLVhgaKwzk0G7PSLtNDDflKB/s1600-h/020_20.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380281693662301218" style="WIDTH: 287px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 208px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjfGwDL9oIpEh_0H055AoO85oX37m2PaGCjacFTyV1MVHULTzrmMT3CkcdmoToHdpwh-SMu4hr0aA0FneQTyoZ8zbju-XiCtKLvjwNFWniUS1Iq424p2rCOLVhgaKwzk0G7PSLtNDDflKB/s320/020_20.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center">I hung all the aprons on the wall for them to see when they walked in.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><strong>craft</strong></span>......</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">After putting on their aprons, they were sent over</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> to the craft table where they got to make their own napkin ring. (Using the same netting that tied up the invitation bag.)</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> The big girls helped the little girls as needed. When they were finished they placed their napkin ring on the table where they were to be </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">seated later on in the evening.</span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB00GFLOygNhFFlDrsRue8Hj71h3VF1D2YgCVDRLCupwrJaUaAGeZT-sCU8FNP646j8bz6O_yUfpQw8bxQdWm5uzk0Plu3h_AacD9HMksJDgkktOTAGeTPVdDn6JiWtfqbTthDdAeezaKY/s1600-h/003_3.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380221876180239602" style="WIDTH: 245px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjB00GFLOygNhFFlDrsRue8Hj71h3VF1D2YgCVDRLCupwrJaUaAGeZT-sCU8FNP646j8bz6O_yUfpQw8bxQdWm5uzk0Plu3h_AacD9HMksJDgkktOTAGeTPVdDn6JiWtfqbTthDdAeezaKY/s320/003_3.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oVvNQG5OMJedJ77tqrEulbszR6Ui8Bvsr8PkZz47POezPcWFiCIRMR6mae87FqzSamogmKAplH_stU_qUWAw1c27ONybIqn-bOBiPvCUQzcxXeSbLr7H4_M8Y4iQF1NAOmrR5aV8F-Yn/s1600-h/005_5.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380223442811448482" style="WIDTH: 271px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 187px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh3oVvNQG5OMJedJ77tqrEulbszR6Ui8Bvsr8PkZz47POezPcWFiCIRMR6mae87FqzSamogmKAplH_stU_qUWAw1c27ONybIqn-bOBiPvCUQzcxXeSbLr7H4_M8Y4iQF1NAOmrR5aV8F-Yn/s320/005_5.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj74HwH1Qs_UCqYemqSN4GJ9Qi013Oy1HsNCPONh6CnwhzG22YvqK3CIel3UKKwovBBdsM3BUZi6DpM7iXGiBjGQFQI9tfY-MtT3UHOdo4WE5n5AuL0ANNXoksfKZyWFWX9BRYcBLKT2U/s1600-h/018_18.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380343037701464274" style="WIDTH: 201px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 280px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAj74HwH1Qs_UCqYemqSN4GJ9Qi013Oy1HsNCPONh6CnwhzG22YvqK3CIel3UKKwovBBdsM3BUZi6DpM7iXGiBjGQFQI9tfY-MtT3UHOdo4WE5n5AuL0ANNXoksfKZyWFWX9BRYcBLKT2U/s320/018_18.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;">cooking</span></strong>.....</span> </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Hey Good Looking! Whatcha got cooking?!<br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo96WQ1fJ0bVzjyR8MBIvFHjBsroKYzFZ_WiN9ZLUHPI_SJiyhnXBD59C_RoBkCWymM0YFgz-GicSiQgI4Fxdj2T60NiVWs9PGgPxYBj-_Z0FpdJgdHmHEwyaq5hFJKklrjHEVnWTxQOI/s1600-h/006_6.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380224505963518066" style="WIDTH: 259px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpo96WQ1fJ0bVzjyR8MBIvFHjBsroKYzFZ_WiN9ZLUHPI_SJiyhnXBD59C_RoBkCWymM0YFgz-GicSiQgI4Fxdj2T60NiVWs9PGgPxYBj-_Z0FpdJgdHmHEwyaq5hFJKklrjHEVnWTxQOI/s320/006_6.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULk7_c1_RUbsmzzoSEFfasNl4oi5tWcVplLXTrSwRKxZkAPrCC_RTWP3Zn-yc-LVvw9YmVs3UYMPOVu45TQphxp93fgBD_KMfV_tXQmvd8bR33ZFquOUv9YmAe-eqBoMpX2B_UrteoPvx/s1600-h/008_8.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380228698120002578" style="WIDTH: 253px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 185px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgULk7_c1_RUbsmzzoSEFfasNl4oi5tWcVplLXTrSwRKxZkAPrCC_RTWP3Zn-yc-LVvw9YmVs3UYMPOVu45TQphxp93fgBD_KMfV_tXQmvd8bR33ZFquOUv9YmAe-eqBoMpX2B_UrteoPvx/s320/008_8.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_T20Q0WVM6ga_huu110m1YzwOSsZtoRK88z8XH44m-OaafjlpNa8uB_AY93yBPpaf64U45lfSsO_dLHA8B4Sv6IIcdIXO8XpGm1I0CIjBEm2OslyYmtzL9SL90milQVlMKGLmdaffsgYo/s1600-h/064_64.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380311005737609762" style="WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_T20Q0WVM6ga_huu110m1YzwOSsZtoRK88z8XH44m-OaafjlpNa8uB_AY93yBPpaf64U45lfSsO_dLHA8B4Sv6IIcdIXO8XpGm1I0CIjBEm2OslyYmtzL9SL90milQVlMKGLmdaffsgYo/s320/064_64.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleyCeb70M9HMinB8lnTtl1OYoNlkHTKyFrveoHn-dz6_5MCBKUPH2-CojojFtTNYc9Enu42-ty3XYDoVs7IxPB0t4TT3rSo6k8AjZealWaJSTevYqhrsgycfn7NivFVMmKddB_yLc8GaT/s1600-h/062_62.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380310987478368514" style="WIDTH: 201px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 277px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgleyCeb70M9HMinB8lnTtl1OYoNlkHTKyFrveoHn-dz6_5MCBKUPH2-CojojFtTNYc9Enu42-ty3XYDoVs7IxPB0t4TT3rSo6k8AjZealWaJSTevYqhrsgycfn7NivFVMmKddB_yLc8GaT/s320/062_62.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWJZxpuq0rEeigfRSu8hlrrbzeKrGUDKy9alz0BBvvMGxmYtDJryWzjfo2zTJrBJkgHDAcvoY2LXw7M7HNUI2pGyCdTj7lwqvfV1uqmgjpZ896KNjOFBGspNWJAdCJfulCW0fCS-cljHM/s1600-h/043_43.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380297824837638578" style="WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPWJZxpuq0rEeigfRSu8hlrrbzeKrGUDKy9alz0BBvvMGxmYtDJryWzjfo2zTJrBJkgHDAcvoY2LXw7M7HNUI2pGyCdTj7lwqvfV1uqmgjpZ896KNjOFBGspNWJAdCJfulCW0fCS-cljHM/s320/043_43.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN936z2L84Qyt1yVW8hI_A4mjtkf2RCp73OWqp-27eVT2NAG3zHSsLJaCyqIEEv54t_iCmm4KhKMrWX23jY4OjeKuvQb8p-pU6Lp5z0DPP3xkch7u2SmtYNyczvAvB7_wqQCEDzmCVLRz/s1600-h/040_40.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380297817747360866" style="WIDTH: 288px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 212px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKN936z2L84Qyt1yVW8hI_A4mjtkf2RCp73OWqp-27eVT2NAG3zHSsLJaCyqIEEv54t_iCmm4KhKMrWX23jY4OjeKuvQb8p-pU6Lp5z0DPP3xkch7u2SmtYNyczvAvB7_wqQCEDzmCVLRz/s320/040_40.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDxo8vjQZ5b-oG4FiQGLyQDX5JotBDKq5prX7wahcY_msJpduv25y_eXWQFLWGgj5Ykln7Hhsm5yu3lHOYlYY5sZGbnMIlf0_gvaMrfrHltYYUdhPs_o4YF-NLYRSzonaC2tE06l7fJPw/s1600-h/021_21.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380289836033463666" style="WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkDxo8vjQZ5b-oG4FiQGLyQDX5JotBDKq5prX7wahcY_msJpduv25y_eXWQFLWGgj5Ykln7Hhsm5yu3lHOYlYY5sZGbnMIlf0_gvaMrfrHltYYUdhPs_o4YF-NLYRSzonaC2tE06l7fJPw/s320/021_21.JPG" border="0" /></a> <a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwZxUtAXRKT8HCblRiKB4uavc-7Yy0qALjxStIKBUGbjLrg4gZq2ulr4z7o7FOsTOiD2lkx3k5ERwxZYmfoLMcrpn0c665C_vHEJ5TVp7pYulP7JtMrywh5xH0mqUU3ZSphxxmkADlqj8/s1600-h/010_10.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380232729466542594" style="WIDTH: 261px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 211px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjgwZxUtAXRKT8HCblRiKB4uavc-7Yy0qALjxStIKBUGbjLrg4gZq2ulr4z7o7FOsTOiD2lkx3k5ERwxZYmfoLMcrpn0c665C_vHEJ5TVp7pYulP7JtMrywh5xH0mqUU3ZSphxxmkADlqj8/s320/010_10.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3J8gwB1F16V4ztch0L0wfRwPgyOV1c9hr_ZpzC-Clg-cTDBtRKRd946LYD638zqLnhQGYWFCxG4LjyjCKc_E2mC9zrO4tmmdK3WjKmkSWSpCUlvcCFvpeE3HpFuNcmUg1BFKiEmN8SnZ/s1600-h/063_63.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380310995949462146" style="WIDTH: 286px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb3J8gwB1F16V4ztch0L0wfRwPgyOV1c9hr_ZpzC-Clg-cTDBtRKRd946LYD638zqLnhQGYWFCxG4LjyjCKc_E2mC9zrO4tmmdK3WjKmkSWSpCUlvcCFvpeE3HpFuNcmUg1BFKiEmN8SnZ/s320/063_63.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgigkVap-0TINXvfmROq32CjHDlgmyS0dpU5ziJLK9TOxP8JFu11o3vAlbjtT5xX54S4FfKuP2SO5VnQQBzlVOWWzv2jbjlP-Iep1T9aKgczvTIn3aLmaP0l7_au3tnaBTZxH9p9tOuxP/s1600-h/035_35.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380289863781023954" style="WIDTH: 287px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjWgigkVap-0TINXvfmROq32CjHDlgmyS0dpU5ziJLK9TOxP8JFu11o3vAlbjtT5xX54S4FfKuP2SO5VnQQBzlVOWWzv2jbjlP-Iep1T9aKgczvTIn3aLmaP0l7_au3tnaBTZxH9p9tOuxP/s320/035_35.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">Now it was time to get cooking! I had three tables set up, each with their own recipe, ingredients and supplies. I also had an adult at each table to oversee the little chefs at work. The recipes came from the American Girl cookbooks that I bought on sale </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">for $5.00 each at the American Girl website.</span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br />The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#33ff33;"><strong>menu</strong></span>:</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Kit's Cincinnati Chili</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Samantha's Corn Oysters</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Kit's Baked Macaroni and Cheese</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Felicity's Sally Lunn Bread</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Molly's Frozen Fruit Cups </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>salon</strong></span>.....</span> </div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUToyPhp9pfMX1n0mVnnMZ2eS9u2-4ZQwVsXmFF-FAYHaE80P__ueQBnFd3vRac4If-8EaLL5Sc2rpmdsS2TwCQGKVStq87qf7V4qRf2uJvCmQ_Zd4vaRP0ECksIrOKgaW7-EmfERprW6c/s1600-h/019_19.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380281689236508050" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUToyPhp9pfMX1n0mVnnMZ2eS9u2-4ZQwVsXmFF-FAYHaE80P__ueQBnFd3vRac4If-8EaLL5Sc2rpmdsS2TwCQGKVStq87qf7V4qRf2uJvCmQ_Zd4vaRP0ECksIrOKgaW7-EmfERprW6c/s320/019_19.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7pNQJsEIi5oxHjBiH3HptUcdpTtHE-q_SMfiEod_PtkUE7-WKCD_BaOdkJHmDiJB1wNJmAxt3DTVMFSV4iFjnO3OcXJ5-FchvHwU5Ck8qqJ4wNZpmanPcBtU7HLnWjmbMRZRnyZRmA_m/s1600-h/066_66.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380311012329596978" style="WIDTH: 292px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjb7pNQJsEIi5oxHjBiH3HptUcdpTtHE-q_SMfiEod_PtkUE7-WKCD_BaOdkJHmDiJB1wNJmAxt3DTVMFSV4iFjnO3OcXJ5-FchvHwU5Ck8qqJ4wNZpmanPcBtU7HLnWjmbMRZRnyZRmA_m/s320/066_66.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAcsnN2ZwGtbILOf4ms93ozFTYBka2NgP1Bu9RcwpTJMmfjEGP0UzXdzGd6xaT6YY7rp61pn5hMJOo6s6BEGne4LeRvd86uruBjB8DJIaO-gdXR4r0WNWUjx3cnz8_ur_vK4W0uKPgQtM/s1600-h/057_57.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380310977818276402" style="WIDTH: 290px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 213px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdAcsnN2ZwGtbILOf4ms93ozFTYBka2NgP1Bu9RcwpTJMmfjEGP0UzXdzGd6xaT6YY7rp61pn5hMJOo6s6BEGne4LeRvd86uruBjB8DJIaO-gdXR4r0WNWUjx3cnz8_ur_vK4W0uKPgQtM/s320/057_57.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJDlD8CnvckrAde1hBiq4nFitnv6BI_f7vC0zK_Khm3gtKjUNdjA6-1o-AsUfQgHi1wTcI1N7rXxogdjV-GS0qneA1sveLFnAWx8P9xsrt1x55qocjMKT8sxQptberFA29Efe3CFA63G5/s1600-h/055_55.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380297842032910370" style="WIDTH: 196px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 217px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJJDlD8CnvckrAde1hBiq4nFitnv6BI_f7vC0zK_Khm3gtKjUNdjA6-1o-AsUfQgHi1wTcI1N7rXxogdjV-GS0qneA1sveLFnAWx8P9xsrt1x55qocjMKT8sxQptberFA29Efe3CFA63G5/s320/055_55.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOnjgEtg3D31NCch2LYvUq9GScSs3j7DMqh5UWweYf6C67i1Va3qVtT4Pe9D9Oag3DGTEwPvYP010f7OL8kfJcQfIU3aRNmO9ZP_srOb17pDqCJIGPKM318FavHETJcbXyDRBKyvq3cQE/s1600-h/038_38.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380289872893443970" style="WIDTH: 295px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 215px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTOnjgEtg3D31NCch2LYvUq9GScSs3j7DMqh5UWweYf6C67i1Va3qVtT4Pe9D9Oag3DGTEwPvYP010f7OL8kfJcQfIU3aRNmO9ZP_srOb17pDqCJIGPKM318FavHETJcbXyDRBKyvq3cQE/s320/038_38.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Arial;">Each group finished at different times, and when they did it was their turn to go to the Doll Salon. This was a table that was set up with doll salon chairs, doll brushes, water bottles and all kinds of hair goodies for the dolls. I had a friend of mine bring some of her daughter's many American girl dolls for those who didn't have their own. The little</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> ones of course got into this a bit more than the older ones, but they all had fun with it.</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPva9hUTt4ny4s9TJjznDxNGNezK9LwUUrTSpmVyHr_C38xL3LHU99dcz7-NgSgDEYD38oScVqPl2XLHtHhpX2SAwXOZhIUa84WYy28r4s4UAeuStlSuOHc52iYgh4g8TtdpqilmXIjgCS/s1600-h/013_13.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380275858004979378" style="WIDTH: 209px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 164px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhPva9hUTt4ny4s9TJjznDxNGNezK9LwUUrTSpmVyHr_C38xL3LHU99dcz7-NgSgDEYD38oScVqPl2XLHtHhpX2SAwXOZhIUa84WYy28r4s4UAeuStlSuOHc52iYgh4g8TtdpqilmXIjgCS/s320/013_13.JPG" border="0" /></a><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380275853592667186" style="WIDTH: 208px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 165px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhSPBpvWqpbKI24nJlAGVDEZGieHUGikNhum26l-OUE6E74ZbQpzTLd-sMh7uT8ZbulMcCFmriEVaaUYNgRBqrBmmJOZNaF_EcoTWJRrhv9-I_PzJ383hHOY8yrVWhvOnWm8iMjSTjJn7In/s320/012_12.JPG" border="0" /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc33cc;"><strong>movie</strong></span>......</span></div><div align="center"><br /></div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W9TuU7aJ0NJNfaxCmy0xTA9-WmrWOjNyu79dSU6opsb3VzHlhHBRgINqxoMiG2bq3TZ_FxiQBRjpUHuYpSWBH6_cq-cY8pwuGMpho3CzBfb-fLfHuLsMabRsUi4mcBMjzbmXqLr0OS1X/s1600-h/O2VZMCANVVHUTCAN6ACX1CA4QN0K7CA54F47UCA06ZHV2CAADN8U3CAZS0VD3CAZV7LOKCAU9UU76CADTSGD8CASL5ZN3CAURJPWOCA45ZLBQCAG7FPL0CAII0F0QCAYLX5LZCAARP5Z0CAYRUZPACAO76ZML.jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380351972668773602" style="WIDTH: 110px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 142px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg-W9TuU7aJ0NJNfaxCmy0xTA9-WmrWOjNyu79dSU6opsb3VzHlhHBRgINqxoMiG2bq3TZ_FxiQBRjpUHuYpSWBH6_cq-cY8pwuGMpho3CzBfb-fLfHuLsMabRsUi4mcBMjzbmXqLr0OS1X/s320/O2VZMCANVVHUTCAN6ACX1CA4QN0K7CA54F47UCA06ZHV2CAADN8U3CAZS0VD3CAZV7LOKCAU9UU76CADTSGD8CASL5ZN3CAURJPWOCA45ZLBQCAG7FPL0CAII0F0QCAYLX5LZCAARP5Z0CAYRUZPACAO76ZML.jpg" border="0" /></a><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">When everyone was finished making their recipes, it was movie time while some of the recipes</span><span style="font-family:Arial;"> were still </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">simmering. Our movie was Kit Kittredge. I even had a movie snack prepared for them out of one of the cook books. The plan was to show it until the food was finished, then seat everyone for dinner. I would let them finish it up after the meal, before their parents arrived to pick them up. We had some technical difficulties however, so we used the time by opening the presents i</span><span style="font-family:Arial;">nstead. We watched the movie at the end, and this might have even worked out better.</span><br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>snack</strong></span>.....<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcxyp3qc2NdQLEDtb45tKgNF_yT00fVvEq762kL05J20Z2AUhss_u34lgPFB8RftfW43h1-lLR0Lasg83jgfXAY5TNG9d3Yi46HJ-QDbVLIbAqjRJ0xzHzMai3xhlhUh_grDDlajXi2Oj/s1600-h/025_25.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380343048223594578" style="WIDTH: 252px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 159px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJcxyp3qc2NdQLEDtb45tKgNF_yT00fVvEq762kL05J20Z2AUhss_u34lgPFB8RftfW43h1-lLR0Lasg83jgfXAY5TNG9d3Yi46HJ-QDbVLIbAqjRJ0xzHzMai3xhlhUh_grDDlajXi2Oj/s320/025_25.JPG" border="0" /></a><br /><br />These were also from cookbooks. Molly's Frozen Fruit Cups...mmm mmm<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#6600cc;"><strong>dinner</strong></span>......</span></div><span style="font-family:Arial;"></span><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Arial;">The tables were set and each girl was directed to her name card. Birthday girls sat at the head of the table. </span><span style="font-family:Arial;">They all enjoyed getting to eat their creations and many came back for seconds.</span> Then it was time for the birthday cake. I opted for birthday cupcakes instead, from the Cupcakery. They were beautiful, colorful and glittery. Now does that say little girl's birthday party or what? After each birthday girl picked the cupcake she wanted, the others got to pick the one they liked best. They were all so beautiful and yummy that no one was disappointed with what they picked.</div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3PZ7f5YudQqI0pwbhxXA9AM55oBeL7X918TpnpU-ZUJHiVNeT9Luv8WWfTUZ4DT5AQ-1jKrhOxXwu5AvCAc-RJmo5P-ERBkrJBUnBfA0qMIL1iYpe7UuaqbMXCbDc2pw_WF8XRG1OFHX/s1600-h/109_109.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380318614447417170" style="WIDTH: 185px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 269px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt3PZ7f5YudQqI0pwbhxXA9AM55oBeL7X918TpnpU-ZUJHiVNeT9Luv8WWfTUZ4DT5AQ-1jKrhOxXwu5AvCAc-RJmo5P-ERBkrJBUnBfA0qMIL1iYpe7UuaqbMXCbDc2pw_WF8XRG1OFHX/s320/109_109.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center">They all did a terrific job on their dish....and by terrific I mean edible! :)</div><div align="center"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQ5MYWXlv8acMxO2qA_WzaVqMyaxCtJLuc-j27Sc4qNRROzF13lV9M4K_NNKjWy1oTkyXYfxW8yZoXC4uMXJIK83waUBP6bCGCJ0NyMR4nbomA86s7Se82TaHkHtRCrbSPqTbBlc9xpM6/s1600-h/053_53.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380297827368093378" style="WIDTH: 212px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 294px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivQ5MYWXlv8acMxO2qA_WzaVqMyaxCtJLuc-j27Sc4qNRROzF13lV9M4K_NNKjWy1oTkyXYfxW8yZoXC4uMXJIK83waUBP6bCGCJ0NyMR4nbomA86s7Se82TaHkHtRCrbSPqTbBlc9xpM6/s320/053_53.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vCimH-9Q_k-nfIM6X1AZnNtd2-7TR1K97nTJKd9ceoRduPEIvM4bfCAHhFPhWbvfFnor38RTgCrqT216Juwdpw9IGfuIs-Mlb3QB4aBIZIRi3TGWk1lbgIOebJog_5alwjshOWS33md0/s1600-h/054_54.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380297838618363362" style="WIDTH: 214px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 295px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1vCimH-9Q_k-nfIM6X1AZnNtd2-7TR1K97nTJKd9ceoRduPEIvM4bfCAHhFPhWbvfFnor38RTgCrqT216Juwdpw9IGfuIs-Mlb3QB4aBIZIRi3TGWk1lbgIOebJog_5alwjshOWS33md0/s320/054_54.JPG" border="0" /></a></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">The pink table was for Channing & Friends, the lime green for Connor & friends. Did you notice the cute little napkin rings?<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDKu0-Qq7WwTp_P5kQBrk5WnCoabHBsc0yEka_H3k-Hroiyq2sYvGLpCtNNHxeuqRTfLe0dLFFcZ8800dJEedwK8l0-n81msz_kQh4_fOnh4vNvDluGmLFHtO4IB-RRXOvJaRGXMRr6q6/s1600-h/131_131.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380318635447714082" style="WIDTH: 268px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 194px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheDKu0-Qq7WwTp_P5kQBrk5WnCoabHBsc0yEka_H3k-Hroiyq2sYvGLpCtNNHxeuqRTfLe0dLFFcZ8800dJEedwK8l0-n81msz_kQh4_fOnh4vNvDluGmLFHtO4IB-RRXOvJaRGXMRr6q6/s320/131_131.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-FO-41cgKvomNsTJYdZPynpfUfU0gNVTyKevf-eu1Nf1MggsP4-J0uKdbdLZYD-zw2Ai7-9Ml-339_yIomaNS1RAz3RWnrwil3qcgYm4jCBrGP1HjXeDPTJOSHphFP8j2R2wrrdesBf/s1600-h/130_130.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380318624944288162" style="WIDTH: 269px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 210px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2a-FO-41cgKvomNsTJYdZPynpfUfU0gNVTyKevf-eu1Nf1MggsP4-J0uKdbdLZYD-zw2Ai7-9Ml-339_yIomaNS1RAz3RWnrwil3qcgYm4jCBrGP1HjXeDPTJOSHphFP8j2R2wrrdesBf/s320/130_130.JPG" border="0" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjaYttyvH4wBmIeoxtPhf595ScFPz1-fUhkYyejwjlZQdhIVAjBrL9dShAez4iiG66Oe3EMg_PedFDKCQ79e0vueEmh6Z6Y9qZC_0U-DWBh_Xet5xMZqx_HoheH8WJuUwCpF4HezLlQqX/s1600-h/016_16.JPG"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5380281675601759122" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 240px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimjaYttyvH4wBmIeoxtPhf595ScFPz1-fUhkYyejwjlZQdhIVAjBrL9dShAez4iiG66Oe3EMg_PedFDKCQ79e0vueEmh6Z6Y9qZC_0U-DWBh_Xet5xMZqx_HoheH8WJuUwCpF4HezLlQqX/s320/016_16.JPG" border="0" /></a> </div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">A close up of the delicious, glittery, yummy cupcakes!</div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center"><br />While they were eating I packed up each apron in a goodie bag and also put in the napkin rings they made. This way everything was ready to go and there was no frantic searching for their things at the end of the party.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">Now back to the <span style="font-size:130%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>show</strong></span>.....<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">After dinner we turned the movie on to wait for parents and also gave them the option of going back to the doll salon. It was doll salon for the younger ones and movie for the older ones. All in all it turned out to be a fun party for all the girls.<br /></div><div align="center"><br /></div><div align="center">The <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>end</strong></span>.</div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-21473312261196528042009-09-10T05:57:00.000-07:002009-09-10T07:09:31.248-07:00Read Any Good Books Lately?<span style="font-family:courier new;">I just <span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><strong>LOVE</strong></span> to read, I mean really <span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><strong>LOVE</strong></span>, <span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;"><strong>LOVE</strong></span>, <strong><span style="font-size:180%;color:#990000;">LOVE</span></strong> to read! I think I got this from my mom. I remember her reading a lot, especially when we were little. She even had a special book that she would read to us, each and every time we asked....over and over again. It was a big book of <span style="font-size:180%;color:#33ccff;"><strong>Mother Goose Nursery Rhymes</strong></span>. It was probably the only one we had, but we didn't notice, because we thought it was the greatest book ever! </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Well my tastes have definitely changed, although I do still enjoy the occasional Mother Goose Rhyme with my kids. I thought I would share some of my all time favorites. </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc33cc;"><strong>Shopaholic</strong></span> Books...these are sooo funny, more so if you're a shopper. But don't worry, even if you're not, you'll still get a kick out of these.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Dzvv0tK2oNLU147Roh8FzpHNyz-ei_SIbJgM2JKvf08zgH6ikjL0s21BwetmDusz1LEiBtirZVfWcFVKMTmD9RQ9g6VYE_MGY5z6qODJ7J085DXw9aiHa80LJI79NhZWpS2KNl0NvkIY/s1600-h/images%5B2%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831438468177042" style="WIDTH: 87px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 140px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0Dzvv0tK2oNLU147Roh8FzpHNyz-ei_SIbJgM2JKvf08zgH6ikjL0s21BwetmDusz1LEiBtirZVfWcFVKMTmD9RQ9g6VYE_MGY5z6qODJ7J085DXw9aiHa80LJI79NhZWpS2KNl0NvkIY/s320/images%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_fpUs5POw5161c6DaY5gOrHqNf8lAmU2lBVkQB9jv24B2uZHdWcPAPvZ7ngFqABTw2NEOEeEof4FIO1ckyEguW2rwoQESU0fLpyjW15r8-LKW_5RiVFGt3Rt2dk7d3QtUJmfkTb90I8Y/s1600-h/images%5B9%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831622908677650" style="WIDTH: 81px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO_fpUs5POw5161c6DaY5gOrHqNf8lAmU2lBVkQB9jv24B2uZHdWcPAPvZ7ngFqABTw2NEOEeEof4FIO1ckyEguW2rwoQESU0fLpyjW15r8-LKW_5RiVFGt3Rt2dk7d3QtUJmfkTb90I8Y/s320/images%5B9%5D.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"> </span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SjZs3So86ltfMQZ7RpiH478m5dkKH5AxNzrwgD5IChSnzS1Hpgc9xNyOaGWdOBiKaaf_EwmEU-fEpEbQZuxz7wlhRRoi51WnypkBy-MS_J_RX-eBphyphenhyphen_yNXrCcBahXaht9B9v0Pj4qE3/s1600-h/N3CALQ96DMCAJ5YTYPCAGF7391CAA82RISCAHLQPW3CAQ9YYUFCA25VX2OCAIIN6ZRCA4AYUENCAXTGH30CAS0FCJKCATNN7R3CAZFHZ1YCAYAJNMOCA583R42CA779ACFCATIQY1GCAEPQSA7CAGE4KFF.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379833615291366642" style="WIDTH: 81px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-SjZs3So86ltfMQZ7RpiH478m5dkKH5AxNzrwgD5IChSnzS1Hpgc9xNyOaGWdOBiKaaf_EwmEU-fEpEbQZuxz7wlhRRoi51WnypkBy-MS_J_RX-eBphyphenhyphen_yNXrCcBahXaht9B9v0Pj4qE3/s320/N3CALQ96DMCAJ5YTYPCAGF7391CAA82RISCAHLQPW3CAQ9YYUFCA25VX2OCAIIN6ZRCA4AYUENCAXTGH30CAS0FCJKCATNN7R3CAZFHZ1YCAYAJNMOCA583R42CA779ACFCATIQY1GCAEPQSA7CAGE4KFF.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflJaOAoIwHjAE3dH91gPA-ndEUt7BhHbGMCOFAu15IInJoVEPYJyiA1xD4uT9azwAU3_0LEmMW-ajh8AOiBEO_UdAROOu_gMWdvT6f2tiA0Lbkegxx3XJAlFCANlpwr8aILIZJrfGkkMX/s1600-h/DGCA1D9NGWCATPEL5BCATHG8WVCAAQEEY6CA9NNVB5CA548C08CADMRFHPCAS0FTWGCA87ZL2XCA2PVGO4CAIR5Y2WCA3MJ37FCAZ0PRO0CAW9AZJ6CAIEGFQICA8CI9BICA9TF556CA231JLSCA51DQZ2.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831207315062610" style="WIDTH: 82px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflJaOAoIwHjAE3dH91gPA-ndEUt7BhHbGMCOFAu15IInJoVEPYJyiA1xD4uT9azwAU3_0LEmMW-ajh8AOiBEO_UdAROOu_gMWdvT6f2tiA0Lbkegxx3XJAlFCANlpwr8aILIZJrfGkkMX/s320/DGCA1D9NGWCATPEL5BCATHG8WVCAAQEEY6CA9NNVB5CA548C08CADMRFHPCAS0FTWGCA87ZL2XCA2PVGO4CAIR5Y2WCA3MJ37FCAZ0PRO0CAW9AZJ6CAIEGFQICA8CI9BICA9TF556CA231JLSCA51DQZ2.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcVYa_lDYZWuhh0aeRRRFUY7tAX33hYWCIr3FulMnRqBLq188DfL9RLO8RUDUV4c9sZlblOz5Env2LnUKQOnguWOmJCSEnAHrD4tDmloGFnJ_1-A-dAzhYuSHUMuArB0I7cRMljnMTXR/s1600-h/images%5B5%5D.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831531988310658" style="WIDTH: 86px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuZcVYa_lDYZWuhh0aeRRRFUY7tAX33hYWCIr3FulMnRqBLq188DfL9RLO8RUDUV4c9sZlblOz5Env2LnUKQOnguWOmJCSEnAHrD4tDmloGFnJ_1-A-dAzhYuSHUMuArB0I7cRMljnMTXR/s320/images%5B5%5D.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:130%;color:#990000;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Twilight </span></strong><span style="font-size:100%;color:#000000;">Books</span></span>....I thoroughly enjoy a GREAT love story. Like so many others, I devoured these books the second I got my hands on them! </span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLTxrr5wSil71DOuLwVqvducdbYdX3GYH2HfOwQBIDMLTLMN7EdAURtKgiGC7t1SDjjCt54fynoXeYMpovNAaDs37Ps_FH5kGdxIfkJg_MwJ8IbS0TXLTBmqaXixMUoTp1F1mKK3BPSRL/s1600-h/NOCAFVT9L4CAEG9C06CAM5XQIDCA6WZ44DCA49LFF0CA3AR2AOCAEZGDD5CAZDP2XYCAXS4DYXCAW0HQL9CAL6DXE3CAE47PMYCAIH0XKNCAKCKHBQCARUBAIFCALOVF81CASMFW9ZCAIR3NVHCAMITI4O.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831724817152450" style="WIDTH: 81px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 135px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYLTxrr5wSil71DOuLwVqvducdbYdX3GYH2HfOwQBIDMLTLMN7EdAURtKgiGC7t1SDjjCt54fynoXeYMpovNAaDs37Ps_FH5kGdxIfkJg_MwJ8IbS0TXLTBmqaXixMUoTp1F1mKK3BPSRL/s320/NOCAFVT9L4CAEG9C06CAM5XQIDCA6WZ44DCA49LFF0CA3AR2AOCAEZGDD5CAZDP2XYCAXS4DYXCAW0HQL9CAL6DXE3CAE47PMYCAIH0XKNCAKCKHBQCARUBAIFCALOVF81CASMFW9ZCAIR3NVHCAMITI4O.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Hunger Games</strong></span> and it's sequel <span style="font-size:180%;color:#ff6600;"><strong>Catching Fire</strong></span>....I just finished the sequel and had been waiting a year for it to come out. I put these books right up there with the Twilight series. They are absolutely WONDERFUL! Once again I find myself waiting for the next and final one in this trilogy. I am hoping that they will make them all into movies.</span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl03EhB4s3cY4hP0mcfiTIxRCoZPwMZB8dFDNfFAPFdWe4AXd3bXxVAVj-L1bvACbvqsYKwkaIYTviv7-sRlm0hgK9vhI4xhG6plWLqPtF2f9M4hRxdcrM8RDOnxPOPt6vpeuRiq5pb_Q/s1600-h/WZCAY5RN32CAIYHYH1CAH6DOVLCATQ46H5CA4T6BECCATI9TFXCAAZC1KFCA05Z2VVCA4PXPSACARRUD2TCASVIS5ICA15A7Z0CARWUC0BCA50WLGHCANAHGEHCAXCWA2ZCATF6OFHCAYDXFFWCAOWSO9F.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831815635772050" style="WIDTH: 85px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHl03EhB4s3cY4hP0mcfiTIxRCoZPwMZB8dFDNfFAPFdWe4AXd3bXxVAVj-L1bvACbvqsYKwkaIYTviv7-sRlm0hgK9vhI4xhG6plWLqPtF2f9M4hRxdcrM8RDOnxPOPt6vpeuRiq5pb_Q/s320/WZCAY5RN32CAIYHYH1CAH6DOVLCATQ46H5CA4T6BECCATI9TFXCAAZC1KFCA05Z2VVCA4PXPSACARRUD2TCASVIS5ICA15A7Z0CARWUC0BCA50WLGHCANAHGEHCAXCWA2ZCATF6OFHCAYDXFFWCAOWSO9F.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStFnBHjtLTHXXrtbYTubeMkZ0QulnapxSqY39QOu9WqOWK8n1DZp2a9r1jlvvDnCAiel2HkuGWVtBR_02E-BMK6iikfuZgJTKkRMk-L4Ex45Y45W3fKTQlxWxII_rz5ok94owydhQ_I56/s1600-h/7KCA09L36JCABJARH2CAWTR055CARKCZDRCA3HZE5KCAX5JTYSCAQL2WAJCAZPGLE6CAIE4Z5ZCA3MW08QCA020B9ECAWW29XECA3G7WT0CAHU5442CA5JIY3YCALU61Q2CACT1XRZCAPLU7EQCAVBKPNS.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379830726894248274" style="WIDTH: 87px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 129px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgStFnBHjtLTHXXrtbYTubeMkZ0QulnapxSqY39QOu9WqOWK8n1DZp2a9r1jlvvDnCAiel2HkuGWVtBR_02E-BMK6iikfuZgJTKkRMk-L4Ex45Y45W3fKTQlxWxII_rz5ok94owydhQ_I56/s320/7KCA09L36JCABJARH2CAWTR055CARKCZDRCA3HZE5KCAX5JTYSCAQL2WAJCAZPGLE6CAIE4Z5ZCA3MW08QCA020B9ECAWW29XECA3G7WT0CAHU5442CA5JIY3YCALU61Q2CACT1XRZCAPLU7EQCAVBKPNS.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">Last and probably my all time favorite is </span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;"><span style="font-size:180%;color:#33ccff;"><strong>Pride and Prejudice</strong></span>....My mom actually turned me on to this one. It's my favorite of all the Jane Austen books. I have read it many times and I still can't get enough of it. If you haven't tried this classic, it's a must read.</span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW217mnyqa4zRmoKWtBaQEoT1X6jGC9oa85dZ9rSsRw1FmH8lPw4rpVrKpqVeef69PsAD0dSux2fj-5xGvwAACukIMdhhV0V1EMl6u7poJy8fE8F1rvjOT6phwK61CAFAB6uprOzJPZXpH/s1600-h/GCCA2VNE56CAQ8OXQTCAGO6N10CAJKYT4FCAMJB8X5CATXOQU3CASKI43ICA0NGW90CA746AQBCADZLBV6CAVSE07XCAT2ZCI4CANOFOJ0CA1U02CVCAR4JBV8CAKRPLJTCATAL63ACABHSQQWCAV0D1LE.jpg"><span style="font-family:courier new;"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379831338346429138" style="WIDTH: 87px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 116px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW217mnyqa4zRmoKWtBaQEoT1X6jGC9oa85dZ9rSsRw1FmH8lPw4rpVrKpqVeef69PsAD0dSux2fj-5xGvwAACukIMdhhV0V1EMl6u7poJy8fE8F1rvjOT6phwK61CAFAB6uprOzJPZXpH/s320/GCCA2VNE56CAQ8OXQTCAGO6N10CAJKYT4FCAMJB8X5CATXOQU3CASKI43ICA0NGW90CA746AQBCADZLBV6CAVSE07XCAT2ZCI4CANOFOJ0CA1U02CVCAR4JBV8CAKRPLJTCATAL63ACABHSQQWCAV0D1LE.jpg" border="0" /></span></a><span style="font-family:courier new;"><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:courier new;">If you have some favorite books I would <strong><span style="font-size:180%;"><span style="color:#990000;">L</span><span style="color:#990000;">OVE</span></span></strong> to hear about them.</span>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-70548557855688639162009-09-09T10:22:00.000-07:002009-09-09T10:38:06.936-07:00BATHTIME<div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UixKrkDt343ifTBgH4ZunBSWYB0KNlfQQ45hQrsoNP4hO8YSpOWKTNDZXTfHQJv0GD6OD8XqVeN5QwnCeyom9lY8220ZS2GckSFH9V5hmLqia2wcJMPQnFKNtdUE1aFu5urQt-mD1SqY/s1600-h/playing+house0003+(4).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379519973948179330" style="WIDTH: 314px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2UixKrkDt343ifTBgH4ZunBSWYB0KNlfQQ45hQrsoNP4hO8YSpOWKTNDZXTfHQJv0GD6OD8XqVeN5QwnCeyom9lY8220ZS2GckSFH9V5hmLqia2wcJMPQnFKNtdUE1aFu5urQt-mD1SqY/s320/playing+house0003+(4).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:courier new;">This is one of my favorite pictures from my <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>childhood</strong></span>. In this picture our ages are Tabby 7, Me 5, Randy 4, and Ronnie 3. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;">I think when we were all in the tub together, is probably the only time my mother had a <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>moment</strong></span> to herself. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;">It is amazing to me how each of us look so much like our own children at that age. </span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;">Gotta love the color of that bath <span style="color:#663333;"><strong>water</strong></span>!</span><br /></div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-90084985932693123702009-09-08T05:48:00.000-07:002009-09-08T11:21:43.212-07:00Family Stories Ch. 1<span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"></span><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;"></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Without a doubt, when I am tucking my girls in at night, their favorite thing to hear is a <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>family story</strong></span>...or as they put it <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>"tell me a story about when you were little."</strong></span> After the first one they were hooked and this was what they preferred to any story book. I have found myself during many bedtimes digging around in my mind, dusting off some old memory from the past. And on nights I couldn't come up with something new, they would request a story they had already heard. I even have a couple of photos that go along </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">with the some of the stories. They love it when this happens.<br /><br />But before the story begins, you'll need a little background first. I now have 2 brothers and 2 sisters, but when this story occured there were just 4 of us. My older sister <span style="color:#ff6600;"><strong>Tabby</strong></span>(Tabethia), <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Me</strong></span>, my younger brother <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>Randy</strong></span>, and the youngest of us all back then, my sister <span style="color:#6600cc;"><strong>Ronnie</strong></span> (Veronica). Our other brother <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>Shane</strong></span> didn't appear on the scene until I was 16.<br /><br />My brother Randy was down this past weekend helping us with a project, so keeping this in mind I think it is only appropriate to start out the family stories with one about "Uncle Randy". <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>His story goes like this....</strong> </span><br /><br />Round about the time when we were all junior high age...the youngest being in about 5th grade and the oldest in 9th grade....we would have to take turns making supper. This particular night it was Randy's turn and he decided he would make some <span style="color:#ffcc33;"><strong>macaroni and cheese</strong></span> with his meal. Well there he was in the kitchen slaving away while his sisters, who seemed more like <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>buzzards</strong></span>, were anxiously and hungrily awaiting supper. We were already </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="color:#009900;"><strong>circling</strong></span> before he even had a chance </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">to put all the food out. </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Sitting in wait at the table with our beady little eyes, hands grasped around our forks and mouths watering. Ok, maybe not quite that way, but we were already seated, when he was bringing in the food.</span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><br />Never one to shy away from attention, he recognized the fact that he now had an audience to reveal his edible masterpieces to. So with his head held high he proudly walked into the dining room and placed them on the table. As soon as the dish hits the table we only have to take one look at the <strong><span style="color:#ffcc33;">macaroni and cheese</span></strong> before all of us girls burst out<span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong> laughing</strong></span>. Poor guy. But if you were there I'm sure you would have done the same thing. Bear in mind that they even make macaroni and cheese now for elementary kids to fix by themselves because it is <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>SO EASY</strong></span>. Well Randy's <strong><span style="color:#ffcc33;">mac and cheese</span></strong> was more like soup and cheese. The noodles were all floating around in yellow cheesy water. I'm sure you've guessed, but yes he didn't drain the water from the noodles. Even sadder and funnier still is that he had no clue what was wrong with his side dish. Couldn't even understand why we were laughing. Well it didn't take us long to clue him in.<br /><br />I would like to say the rest of the meal was much better, but I can't. However I will tell you I did appreciate the effort he put into preparing the meal for us. Truth be known, none of us put much on the table worth eating at that age. Could be why we were all skinny...hmmm. Never the less, it was a time in our lives when we had to step up and help out the best we could. And from that we have some memories that put many a <span style="color:#3333ff;"><strong>smiles</strong></span> on our faces, and even now puts some <span style="color:#cc33cc;"><strong>giggly</strong></span> little girls to sleep at night.<br /><br />Wonder what <span style="color:#009900;"><strong>memories</strong></span> my girls </span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">have tucked away in their little minds that they will someday be dusting off to share with their own children?</span><br /><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr6WX3yRfHEw1amOi6StsTSZMZRXd0Pw6XBIKyH6D_ZPNL3Ez1EJFreDHraU2hzagIWl4YYTmfzvJuuLKNEKEgp_zcBADZaU3Ae0SyHFxp0MiebLlyPGex8S_QZbuxa_SqeVHe78962aE/s1600-h/walking+the+river+(4).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379157896066825458" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 239px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWr6WX3yRfHEw1amOi6StsTSZMZRXd0Pw6XBIKyH6D_ZPNL3Ez1EJFreDHraU2hzagIWl4YYTmfzvJuuLKNEKEgp_zcBADZaU3Ae0SyHFxp0MiebLlyPGex8S_QZbuxa_SqeVHe78962aE/s320/walking+the+river+(4).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br />Here we are on a camping trip, taking a walk along Blue River. Randy is in the front, followed by Tabby, Me, Ronnie, and bringing up the end is Mom. Dad of course is taking the pictures.<br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUBnL-pL7WaIsOFrDHidfhFonNdbbTV87xFR9btJpQ4QoBvnAfuLQyR92aVf6wsSqL5wKOrByDO2GWGrghUOCiA9s5Lx9P4PM5Fi1U6Dd623GdaLiuLDLeFk7JC-HyxA0zSE0ns7jdJLz/s1600-h/walking+the+river+(3).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5379157342071459890" style="WIDTH: 320px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 214px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsUBnL-pL7WaIsOFrDHidfhFonNdbbTV87xFR9btJpQ4QoBvnAfuLQyR92aVf6wsSqL5wKOrByDO2GWGrghUOCiA9s5Lx9P4PM5Fi1U6Dd623GdaLiuLDLeFk7JC-HyxA0zSE0ns7jdJLz/s320/walking+the+river+(3).jpg" border="0" /></a>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-80445308351774378512009-09-01T21:09:00.000-07:002009-09-01T23:35:14.100-07:00The Night Before Second Grade<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTljM8iRpmGDy5zhllfzp0qjpomL3i7KKORH0As69RD_C6resqu1CWdAr_lMntGVxw7JLnHq8ctEDae2EiJM-aCpKUq6yAaeJPQU6uMIcKb__m-ZW2a-hWm6n0GQH3jflX_SDRF0g8i-y/s1600-h/channing's+birthday+2005+073+(2).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376746490074684162" style="WIDTH: 278px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrTljM8iRpmGDy5zhllfzp0qjpomL3i7KKORH0As69RD_C6resqu1CWdAr_lMntGVxw7JLnHq8ctEDae2EiJM-aCpKUq6yAaeJPQU6uMIcKb__m-ZW2a-hWm6n0GQH3jflX_SDRF0g8i-y/s320/channing's+birthday+2005+073+(2).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>Helping dad on </strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>the </strong></span><span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>baseball field.</strong></span><br /><span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>Happier times.</strong></span><br /><br />I probably knew better....but I did it anyway. There it was just waiting in the shadows to get me...<strong><span style="color:#990000;">Irony</span> </strong>that is. While I was so <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>innocently</strong></span> and <span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>lovingly</strong></span> putting together a post about "My Guy", <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Irony</strong></span> was planning to get me and it was gearing up in a second grade class room. How are these two things related? Read on and you'll soon understand.<br /><br />It all started the night before the first day of school. My youngest daughter Channing was going into second grade. It was bedtime and she came up to me with little <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>tears</strong></span> running down her cheeks, trying to keep from crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she told me she was scared about going into second grade. I reassured her in every area I could think of...telling her that she was going to love second grade...she would love her teacher...and that she would do wonderful in the classroom. Then I gave her a <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>hug</strong></span> and a <span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>kiss</strong></span> and sent her back to bed.<br /><br />Well in the morning things appeared to be better. We did our usual first day of school <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>traditions</strong></span>...took a picture commemorating the first day...went to the donut shop for breakfast...and walked her into the classroom so I could get a picture of her <span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>with her new teacher</strong></span>. All seemed well, and I would go on to believe this until a week later.<br /><br />Channing comes home from school the following Monday and I begin taking out her folder with all of her homework in it so we can get started. That's when I came across the paper. <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>The paper</strong></span> that told me why she had little tears running down her cheeks the night before school. <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>The paper</strong></span> that told me why she was so nervous about 2nd grade. <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>The paper</strong></span> that would make me <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>"not happy"</strong></span> with her daddy. This is what it said:<br /><br /><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>This morning I had a</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>lot of Buderflis in</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>my Belly. Beceuse my</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>Dad sed Mrs. taller</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>spanks hard. So I</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>wus very neris! So</strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>I cood not go to </strong></span></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>sleep because that is</strong></span></div><div align="center"><strong><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;">my techer is Mrs.</span><br /></strong></div><div align="center"><span style="font-family:courier new;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"><strong>Taller.</strong></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:100%;color:#33cc00;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="center"><span style="font-family:Courier New;font-size:100%;color:#666666;"></span></div><div align="left">I couldn't believe it. <span style="color:#ff99ff;"><strong>"My poor baby!"</strong></span><span style="color:#000000;">,</span> was all I could think. Well, that and <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>"My rotten husband!"</strong></span> Of course I couldn't let this go, I had to do something....so what did I do? I put it on Face Book, for all the world to see and respond to. This is how it went down:</div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">My Post</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">The night before school starts Channing is nervous and little tears start running down her cheeks. I reassure her and send her to bed. Then she comes home today with a paper she wrote on the first day of school. It says: This morning I had a lot of butterflies in my belly. Because my dad said Mrs. Taylor spanks hard. So I was very nervous! So I could not go to sleep because that is my teacher Mrs. Taylor.</span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Amanda Copeland</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Hahahaha-Oh no! Poor Channing</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Veronica Blue-Harden</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">ummmm I would not want to be Kerry right now..lol</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Dina Moran Wright</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">....shame on Daddy!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Lindsay Johnson</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Um..daddy is in big trouble! lol</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Norma Clement</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">It's like they have a pesky older brother sometimes instead of a dad! I don't think he will ever outgrow it!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Veronica Blue-Harden</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">he is making sure you never miss out on not having a boy! lol</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Debbie Keatts</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">I hope you took care of that man of yours!! Sounds like Bruce Keatts!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Norma Clement</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">I am doing my best but I think I may have to bring in reinforcements!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Sandy Francis-Cobb</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Well, ya k</span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">now that Mrs. Taylor is pretty </span><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">mean! :0)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Nikki Anderson-Terry</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Oh I am cracking up. It is funny, cute and sad all in one! Bad daddy, bad daddy!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Marsha Sample</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Kerry just can't keep from getting Channing in trouble can he? I still haven't forgiven him for the OU thing! LOL</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Norma Clement</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Bad daddy is right! Think I'm going to frame that paper and put it where he can see it every day then...maybe...he will think before he teases...maybe!</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Marsha you are going to have to remind me what the OU thing is...I do my best to forget as much as I can! :)</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;color:#000099;">Robin Reynolds-Watts</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:arial;font-size:78%;">Oh my gosh Norma, poor kid! That is so funny though....sorry Channing....</span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"></span></div><br /><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Arial;font-size:78%;"></span></div><div align="left">Another side note to all of this is that Channing wasn't supposed to bring that paper home, she did it on accident. Her teacher didn't even have a</div><div align="left">chance to read it before she slipped it in her folder. So now you see how <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Irony</strong></span> has come around to <span style="color:#00cccc;"><strong>laugh</strong></span> at me and let me know that I should always be on the lookout should it decide to strike again.</div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">However before I finish I will admit it was funny, but only because Channing's tears are gone and she absolutely <span style="color:#990000;"><strong>loves</strong></span> Mrs. Taylor. So much that she was no longer scared after that first morning. So my husband has survived and yes I still think he's the cream of the crop! (<span style="color:#990000;"><strong>Irony</strong></span> this is not an invitation to revisit!)</div><br /><br /><div align="left"></div><div align="left">I bought a frame today...we'll see if it works. </div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-35720082227114336892009-08-31T11:38:00.000-07:002009-09-01T05:54:32.323-07:00My Guy<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoKpXEQJsuuE7294oTk581TLRl4v8rhoag5Y7BHch24A46CH2gBQZKLmKsZu7yGgU5cXgCUw-krZWJub_gStC1jlCOPsJlbiWbv0nmDFg_if-i4qX2wxQ9KleZMF4oyTlVUOcMhfSWCaY/s1600-h/misc+2+021+(2).jpg"><img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376354368424678738" style="FLOAT: right; MARGIN: 0px 0px 10px 10px; WIDTH: 255px; CURSOR: hand; HEIGHT: 320px" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhoKpXEQJsuuE7294oTk581TLRl4v8rhoag5Y7BHch24A46CH2gBQZKLmKsZu7yGgU5cXgCUw-krZWJub_gStC1jlCOPsJlbiWbv0nmDFg_if-i4qX2wxQ9KleZMF4oyTlVUOcMhfSWCaY/s320/misc+2+021+(2).jpg" border="0" /></a><br /><br /><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">As a matter of opinion </span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">I think he's tops.<br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">My opinion is </span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">he's the cream of the crop.<br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">As a matter of taste</span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">to be exact,<br /></span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">He's my ideal</span></strong></div><div><strong><span style="color:#990000;">as a matter of fact.</span></strong> </div><br /><div></div><div>This...is how I feel about my guy. I know he's tops and the cream of the crop. I know this for many reasons. Let me tell you about what a <strong><span style="color:#990000;">wonderful</span></strong> father he is. I didn't say perfect, I said wonderful. He is present in our children's lives and active. He gives his all. He is selfless, almost to a fault. He is not mean. He is a great role model for our girls. They know without a doubt that he loves them. He makes time for them. He is always concerned about what is best for them. He wants to do more for them and WITH them. I could go on...<br />But I'll just say <span style="font-size:130%;color:#339999;">I thank God</span> that even though I wasn't thinking about what kind of father the man I married would make, He was.<br /><br /><br />In all these ways and <strong><span style="color:#990000;">more</span></strong> he is a husband to me. He is supportive. He is kind. He likes to make me happy. We are always first. He is helpful in many ways. He is funny. He loves me in spite of my many imperfections. I could go on...<br />But I'll just say <span style="font-size:130%;color:#339999;">I thank God</span> that even though I was too young to perceive all this when we said I do, He already knew.<br /><br />If I haven't told you about our first date, you should ask...<br /><br /><strong><strong><strong><strong><span style="color:#339999;">Thank you God</span></strong></strong></strong></strong> for <span style="color:#990000;">my guy</span>.</div>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-1824251362048114292009-06-24T11:35:00.000-07:002009-08-31T11:36:12.374-07:00My Family's Hobby...er maybe<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68UqkwUy6uOIebam9qLL4pm42Jm2cT-UZuy3OS5pfmZfA5m6u-efDH-pJt6qAPNs__7Dsm7UXvMviAAA1gTApB5aWDDS1yNNjngCvbR3zIYMEvzH2wIqviEqXCzLxvolCcRZFjSDtxdF9/s1600-h/images%5B2%5D.jpg"><img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;width: 108px; height: 133px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi68UqkwUy6uOIebam9qLL4pm42Jm2cT-UZuy3OS5pfmZfA5m6u-efDH-pJt6qAPNs__7Dsm7UXvMviAAA1gTApB5aWDDS1yNNjngCvbR3zIYMEvzH2wIqviEqXCzLxvolCcRZFjSDtxdF9/s320/images%5B2%5D.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5376197356407831634" /></a><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>Diners, Drive Ins and Dives!</strong></span> That<span style="color:#33cc00;"> </span><strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">just</span><span style="color:#33cc00;"> about</span></strong> says it all.<br /><br />While my family and I were in Austin earlier this summer I decided to print out a list of the restaurants that were featured on the show and see what Austin had to offer. I officially announced to my family that this was my <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">new hobby</span></strong> and I would like for us to eat at some of these establishments during our trip. After I convinced Kerry that we had to eat anyway, I quieted the groans from the kiddos and we sat out to locate our first restaurant on the list. (Thank you GPS!) We waded through the Austin traffic to find <em><span style="color:#ff6600;">The Magnolia Cafe</span></em>.<br /><br />This one definitely fits under the dive category. We walked inside and put our name on the list...Norma Jean...and waited to be seated. In no time at all we hear a hostess singing "Goodbye Norma Jean" over the intercom. This gave us all a good laugh, as we were being shown to our table. The atmosphere of course is <strong><span style="color:#33cc00;">almost</span></strong> as important as the food. And the atmosphere here I would describe as <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">quirky</span></strong> and <span style="color:#33cc00;"><strong>artistic</strong></span>. We ordered our food and then looked around us to take in the "murals" that were painted all over the walls. They were as interesting as our waiter and some of the customers. Definite Austin vibes all around! Kerry and 2 of the girls ordered a hamburger, the other ordered breakfast and I cannot remember for the life of me what I ordered! But I do remember the potatoes they served. They were prepared in a home style fashion, and were definitely not your typical french fries. More like <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">skillet fries</span></strong> made from red potatoes. I loved them. Kerry and the girls....not so much. If its not deep fried for them, then apparently it's just not right. I can't say that any of us were very impressed with our meals, aside from me and those potatoes. Kerry and Kerra really didn't like theirs at all.<br /><br />In all fairness I must add here that the gingerbread pancakes was the feature of <span style="color:#ff6600;">The Magnolia Cafe</span> on the <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>Diners Drive Ins and Dives</strong></span> show. Suffice it to say my new hobby was not off to a popular start! I was beginning to wonder how long my family would let me endure my new venture or if it would even survive under their scrutiny and their ever increasing hunger pains!<br /><br />However, supper time arrived and it was time to eat, so once again I pulled out my list and this time let my family pick the place. Which by the way helped a bit with their attitude about Mom's new hobby. The girls wanted bar-b-que, so we were off the find <em><span style="color:#ff6600;">The Green Mesquite</span>.</em><br /><br />As we got out of our truck we heard the sound of blue's music coming from the backside of the restaurant and I turned just in time to a smile spread across Kerry's face. Definite potential. We of course decided we would sit out back and listen to the music of <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>Jimmi Lee</strong></span> while we dined. This was an excellent choice. The music was great and so was the food. We ordered a variety of entrees; chopped BBQ sandwich, Chicken Fried Steak, Chicken Strips and for dessert pecan cobbler. We were all very happy with our food and with the music. Toward the end of our meal Jimmi Lee started talking about a movie that he wrote a song for, a movie called <em><span style="color:#ff6600;">A Pocket Full of Soul</span></em>. We looked it up and sure enough there was Jimmi Lee's name. Although he called it a movie it is really a documentary about harmonica players. Too bad. I was hoping for the big screen. But this disappointment I could deal with. I was just glad the food was good! And so were Kerry and the girls. This is a place I know we will visit again when we are in the Austin area.<br /><br />Well our third and final stop in Austin was <em><span style="color:#ff6600;">Maria's Taco Express</span></em>. The line out the door let us know ahead of time that we were in for something good. As we waited to place our order we took a look at all that surrounded us. Though it was not as eclectic as The Magnolia, it was very interesting. Lots of "stuff" to look at on the walls and ceiling.and we were once again delighted as we heard the strains of music pouring out to us in line. Come to find out Maria's Taco Express has <span style="color:#cc0000;"><strong>"Hippie Church"</strong></span> on Sunday afternoon for all of the diners. Who knew? <strong><span style="color:#cc0000;">"What is Hippie Church?</span><span style="color:#cc0000;">"</span></strong>, you may ask. Well on this particular Sunday it was the soulful sound of gospel music being sung by a family as they gave their testimonies in between songs. We LOVED it! Way to go Maria! I told Kerry I felt like I was at an old fashioned revival. So while we waited for our food we drank in those soulful sounds. What wonderful music it was, just like our tacos! Kerry, Kerra and I all ordered chicken fajita tacos, but Kerra opted out on the breakfast tacos that Kerry and I also ordered. Connor and Channing had beef tacos, "meat and cheese only please." Kerry loved the breakfast tacos, I loved the Chicken Fajita tacos and Kerra loved hers better without all the peppers and onions! Connor and Channing enjoyed their as well. This was another hit with the family and I was glad of that.<br /><br />I think my hobby just may survive! I also think we've learned that there is way more to a restaurant in Austin than just the food!Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8559704596126054779.post-26950481953640644772009-06-23T15:00:00.000-07:002009-06-23T14:55:42.700-07:00Yesterday, Today and Tomorrow<span style="font-family:courier new;">Yesterday I turned <span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>40</strong></span>. Today I am starting a blog. Tomorrow....who knows?!?<br /><br />Turning 40 wasn't nearly as painful as I have been led to believe over the years. It may be because I've been telling myself for the past 3 years that I might as well consider myself 40. <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>"Why?"</strong></span> you ask. Well, I was just hoping it would make for a softer landing when I did hit the <strong><span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;">BIG</span></strong> <span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>4-0</strong></span>......I think it might have worked.<br /><br />Although I haven't gone into melt down mode over the number it has made me realize how fast time <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>flies</strong></span> by. Especially where my children are concerned! Our oldest daughter is getting closer to <span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>college</strong></span> , which can I just tell you I am not looking forward to - at all! My middle daughter thinks she should already be in<span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong> high school</strong></span>, and at times I am inclined to agree with this. Then there's our youngest daughter, who is losing all of the precious <span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>baby</strong></span> stages that seem to linger around a little longer on the last sibling.<br /><br />All of this affects me much more than the numbers in my age do. As a result, I have started this blog. I want my girls to have a resource to come back to and be able to <span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>laugh</strong></span> about the things that might not have been so funny when they were happening, but will cause many tears of joy when enough time has passed. I want them to know how <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>special</strong></span> those" little things" that they did were to me. I want them to know how they make our lives <span style="font-size:130%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>worthwhile</strong></span>, even when we forget to tell them. I also want them to know what their mom was thinking, especially when they are <span style="font-size:130%;color:#00cccc;"><strong>moms</strong></span> themselves. <span style="font-size:180%;color:#cc0000;"><strong>And so much more.</strong></span><br /><br />So at 40 I am beginning a new journey. I hope you enjoy it as much as I think I'm going to.<br /><br />P.S. Stay tuned for tomorrow!</span>Norma Jeanhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04531722964805153580noreply@blogger.com1