A couple of Reminders......

Of my Holidays of 2008...

Rewind to just right before Halloween, the girls and I were "Ding-Dong Ditching", or what we like to call "Booing" when I ran full blast off a curb and ended up with this...... After a quick stop into the ER, I end up a few weeks in this...... And after a couple of weeks of Physical Therapy....

I was well healed from a clumsy night of spooking our friends, and was ready to move on to Christmas. Several days before the big holiday I receive a box on the porch...(very exciting..I thought), so I open it up to find its contents of ALOT of dirt landing all over my kitchen floor. After getting past the dirt I find a sweet little LIVE Christmas tree that came with a cute little strand of lights. ("Sender" will remain anonymous since they are blood related, but I am thinking a little "voo-doo hex" might have been packaged in with this little doozy along with those cute lights)...... Let me explain......

After sweeping the floor, I look at the little guy and think the lights might help? So around & around I go with the lights when all of a sudden STING! I was stuck with a pine needle in my right thumb. I remember immediately grabbing my thumb, saying "Shoot"(really, it was only "Shoot"), and fishing the thorn out of my pierced appendage. Then I was quickly back to holiday business.......(can you hear the ring of that holiday cheer in my voice yet?)...well, fast forward to MARCH 1st, after 3 MONTHS of soaking, digging, exploring, complaining, and more soaking..I still haven't made it to the Dr. to see how to cure the "voo-doo hex" that arrived in that box on that cold December day and made permanent residence in my right thumb, BUT...I think this "really bad patient" is gonna have to give in and get something done about this one......

Glen likes to call it..."the gift that just keeps on giving"!

Yeeeee-ouch!

We like to call em..."Rolamelts"

Thank you to my sweet friend Melissa H. who has a love for the "sweet & salty". I truly believe we were sisters in another life somewhere.....She knows what I LOVE and here's one of the best little inventions that she has ever shared with me:

Here is what you'll need:

1 package of Butter Snap Pretzels

1 Package of Rolos

1 package of Mini Marshmallow

1 package of pecan halves

and your kids..cause these are EASY EASY to make!!

First, preheat your oven to 350, get a cookie sheet, and put those kids to work!

Have them lay out the "Butter Snaps".

Then place a Rolo on top of the Butter Snap.

On top of the Rolo, place a Mini Marshmallow.

They are now ready for some sweet melting!

Place the pan in the oven for about 3-4 minutes.

Watch the marshmallows and as soon as they start to swell just a little, take them out immediately and place the pecan on top of the marshmallow.

(Just a little trial and error tip: If you keep them in the oven too terribly long, the marshmallow coating will harden and the pecan won't stick).

Ahhh! These little babies are pure sweet & salty heaven!

So Roll-on to the store and pick up some Rolos...and enjoy!
I promise you-you will!!

Thought for This Monday.....

Just remember...

You don't stop laughing because you grow old...

You grow old because you stop laughing!

"Nation of Cowards..." huh?!

I have been in turmoil lately! I have an addiction to the news lately, because I find it to be a.) terribly disturbing, b.) terribly entertaining, and c.) terribly outrageous!

Terribly disturbing is all the lying, cheating, and stealing going on.

Terribly entertaining is all the lying, cheating, and stealing going on and they're getting away with it!

Terribly outrageous is all the lying, cheating, and stealing going on amongst our NATION'S LEADERS! The people who are IN CHARGE OF ME, YOU, and US!

I would like to dedicate this blog to recent headlines in the news that made me go..."Good Grief!"

1. Terribly OUTRAGEOUS! This young Brit is now the proud papa of a sweet new baby girl at the ripe old age of 13! The mom is 15. Glen and I think he looks more like 7 or 8........8 or 13, WHICHEVER! I'm not saying alot on this because I myself have a 12 year old and 8 year old who have not grown up yet, we are doing our very best though at teaching them right from wrong and hoping it all sinks in and means something to them, so far so good. But I'd hate to get all preachy and then find myself on the cover of "The Sun" in 2011! All I can say for now on this headline is, "GOOD GRIEF"!?

2. Terribly DISTURBING AND OUTRAGEOUS! A lady in Connecticut thought this chimp was actually her child? He drove her car, she fed him Filet Mignon, he ripped her friend's face and hands off. ??? GOOD GRIEF?! According to the state of Connecticut, the lady was grandfathered in and allowed to keep the chimp after state laws changed banning private chimp ownership in your home? DUH?! It was reported that Travis, the chimp, had the power of 10 large men and now he is dead after acting "like a wild animal"! Hmmm...how strange?!

3. Terribly OUTRAGEOUS! Was it a publicity stunt for his brother-in-law's (Casey Affleck) new documentary or is Joaquin just plain crazy when he acted like a fool in disguise on David Letterman? But really.....who cares?!

4. Terribly ALL OF THE ABOVE (disturbing, entertaining, and outrageous)! Seriously! This guy is OFF HIS ROCKER! But is VERY ENTERTAINING! He just needs to call Vidal Sassoon and see if they are hiring and STAY OFF the talk show circuit were he actually goes CROSS-EYED when he lies! Sean Hannity had this "sweating major bullets lying machine" so turned around the other night I thought his "proceeding hairline" was gonna blow straight off the top of his head!


5. Terribly DISTURBING and OUTRAGEOUS! Lock this NUT away and throw away the key already!! and NANCY GRACE lets move on!

6. Terribly WHO CARES!? With the United States in dire straights, terrorists being released, bills worth a gazillion-billion dollars being made into laws that save mice and prevent STDs...do we seriously care if Jessica Simpson wore the wrong pair of jeans and looked like the rest of us for one day! HUH?! I think we have bigger fish to fry, and shouldn't really spend too much time on a girl that is just plain healthy and in love. (ps........you know I bought the magazine though!)

7. "nuf" said..........................

8. Terribly DISTURBING and OUTRAGEOUS! Seriously come on now! 14 kids, no husband, no job, house in foreclosure.....you may look like Angelina, but you obviously do not have Angelina's checkbook......please no more implantations for this lady. Seriously, does anyone really need or even WANT 14 kids? Don't get me wrong I love my 2, but really wouldn't care for 12 more running amuck!

9. Terribly DISTURBING, ENTERTAINING, & OUTRAGEOUS! This guy really really cracks me up! Poster dude for PERJURY! "uh..uh..uh....I think I talked to him once"...uh...uh..uh.....twice, three, four..ok..twenty times tops! Kinda reminds me of another speech I remember....."I did not have sexual relations with that woman."-----well maybe I did sorta.....but the important thing is "I didn't inhale"?? OK, sure, whatever!

#10 is awarded to the Terribly ENTERTAINING VP JOE BIDEN:

When he opens his mouth you just never know what is going to come out or who he's going to offend. What is even more so terribly entertaining is to watch Obama stand behind him at the podium...holding his breath, gritting his teeth, looking down at the floor the whole time so we won't catch him in an eye roll.....the classic one I'll always remember was his ever so gentle NUDGE in the back to him as to say, "STOP ALREADY"!

11. Dear A-Rod,

I would like to give you some professional medical advice...

Next time, someone tries to inject an "unknown substance" into you, it would be in your best interest to find out what it is first. ("Didn't know what it was." Yea! OK!? Sure, we believe ya...noone ever lies about these things!)

Sincerely,

Me

ps......Dear A-Rod's cousin, how is the view from UNDER THE BUS! geeeeez!!

And Finally...........ugh!
I'm too tired to even start with this one............................

You may have noticed I didn't address "My Title: "Nation of Cowards...huh?!"......don't really want to go there either..I'll just say someone needs to get Mr. Holder a newspaper and let him review the Presidential Election results.

Let me close with.......my apology if any offense was taken! But hey! My blog, my gripes, and I'm rather grouchy today! Personally, I'm offended at the way the country is being treated by people who are not being held accountable and not taking any kind of responsiblility for their actions. We breath accountablilty, responsibility, and honesty down our children's necks from the time they can babble, I know why we do this, but you begin to feel a bit defeated when those who rise to power don't back you up and set good examples of what you are preaching to your children.

There I think I feel better now.

Nope, not yet! I think I need a little dose of this....

and this.......

and then I'll be better!

Have a Nice Day, I know I will!

Famous Last Words.......

"I'm 37 years old and I have never seen a tornado, now calm down!" My famous last words to my terrified 8 year old before the news started blaring, "TORNADO TOUCHED DOWN IN COLLEYVILLE---TAKE COVER IMMEDIATELY IF YOU ARE IN THAT AREA!" uhh------------oh! Less than a mile away our fellow Colleyville residents were experiencing many people's worst fear, having a TORNADO rip their roofs right off their houses! We decided it was time to get into the bathroom! As we watched the news earlier in the evening, the girls had been scurrying to pack "their valuables" into our "safe place", the hallway bathroom. They had their purses, pillows, their favorite nighttime sleep buddies, their ipods, flip-flops, Riley had her "Juicy" brand sweatsuit (still on its hanger), their school bags?? (one that I found quite interesting?).....then finally, Riley says, "Oh wait! I need my Bible!" FINALLY, something we NEED! The gathering of the "valuables" took MUCH MUCH longer than the actual storm itself, so the rest of the evening was spent putting all those "treasures" back in their place!

Luckily, this Christmas, Glen's mom (fully aware of Hallie's terrible fear of storms--much like our black lab's!) bought the grandaughters of the family the sweetest little book that I have to share!!

It's Kristine Kahanuk's, "Katie and The Magic Umbrella....A Stormy Adventure". It is a story that she wrote in honor of her sweet baby who is in heaven, Katherine, "Katie" for short. Katie is a guardian angel in Heaven who comes down to calm two kid's fears about a storm that is brewing by explaining to them what is actually happening during a storm. Today, I was "share reader" in Hallie's 2nd grade class and I brought this book to read with them and they LOVED IT! They each had their own stories to share about the crazy stormy night we had all experienced the night before and many wanted the name of the book so that they could get their own. Borders Bookstore has the book and the actual "Katie" doll as well. As you see, it calmed Hallie down tonight! Enjoy this fun & charming book with your kids before those sirens start up again!! It is only FEBRUARY!

Flu Season Marches On!

Oh No!! The Nose Swab...Not The Nose Swab! and they didn't even give us the "buy one get one free" CareNow deal either!? But fortunately, they both tested negative for the flu...unfortunately, they feel like they have the flu...fortunately, the negative test results got me off the hook for not getting us flu shots this year! But poor babies...fevers, aches, sore throats they have been pretty miserable the past 2 days and this mom is a bit stir crazy from being trapped in this incubator of germs waiting for the attack! Rumor has it that moms are immune to getting sick, I sure hope this "fable" is true! Glen has practically moved out until all is well. Here's hoping for a better healthier tomorrow!

"Looks Like You Got a Wild One Here..."

Famous words of my OB/GYN around .... OH MY?! 8 years ago!! She wasn't even born yet and he knew...HE KNEW! That sweet ole Dr. P knew I was about to birth a doozy! Our sweet little Hallie May Cruson pranced into our lives on Wednesday, January 31st, 2001 at 2:09pm. She weighed 7lbs and 4oz and on that day she became the 2nd most gorgeous gal in my life!

As I looked through her baby book for pictures to post I caught myself laughing out loud! Each page has her decked out in some outlandish costume she had assembled, and page after page of her many quirky-sneaky smiles she is always flashing at the camera, she has never ever not known how to pose! At 3 months old, I had their pictures made and she was sound asleep SMILING. (GAS, I know, but it's still gorgeous and still a SMILE!)

She has always kept us on our toes.....and has taught us many things in her short little 8 years... FAITH, LOVE, & PATIENCE being the top 3. When she was only 2 and getting a "swat" one day, her response to the "tough love" was patting her own behind and telling me "harder"! All I could say was, "Oh dear!" She has an infectious energy about her and that contagious smile that attracts others that I predict will always make her "the life of the party".

It's only been 8 years, but it seems like we've been through so much with her already.....

She had her 1st black eye at 9 months old.

She was given the name "Bulldog" by the ICU Nurses at Cooks as she fought hard to stay alive when asthma sent her into respiratory failure at 1 year old.

She quickly got rid of her "gobby" (pacifier) at 2 years old, after jumping into our pool from a very high point landing her 2 front teeth into my forehead causing them to go "cock-eyed" and splitting my head wide open. She never took that "gobby" again after that jump!

She gave me the "priviledge" of learning Poison-Control's number quickly one day as she coated the roof of her mouth in Super-Glue while trying to apply fake nails (independently).

She already loves the mountains, really took to snow-skiing this year, loves the beach, can swim like a fish, and will wakeboard with the best of them anytime you take her to the lake.

My mom loves to sit back, laugh, shake her head, and tell me, "Melissa, you are paying for your raising with this one!" Much like myself as a young girl.....the tighter the jeans the better, the moodier the day the better, the less homework the better, and the more chocolate available the WAY better!

Her favorite TV show is "Jon & Kate-Plus 8".

She would love to be a MOM when she grows up.
Her favorite color of lipstick is hot pink.

She only loves one pair of jeans.

Her best friend's name is Halle.

Her favorite breakfast is donuts from Donut Palace.
Her favorite name brand is Juicy Couture.

Her favorite places to shop are Target, Nordstrom, and Claire's.

Her favorite place to sleep is with mom and dad.

She absolutely adores her big sister, although she would never admit this in real lfe.

and

She is OUR most favorite little 8 year old in the whole wide world! Hallie, thank you so much for adding such spice and fun to our lives! We are so proud of you for trying so hard at everything you do and adore the way you would love to be older, but yet still want to be babied!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO YOU, our little BULLDOG!!!

We Love You SO Much,

Mom, Dad, & Riley