It helps to have connections...

Today I got off early from work. I thought I would get to spend a leisure afternoon doing fun stuff- yeah, right! I stopped at my favorite quilt shop and picked up some new fabric for some projects I have planned. I went by and got the kids at Clint's mom's. As we walked into the house I was met with a huge gust of heat! Our house was so hot! My first thought was I turned the thermostat up too high this morning when I left. I looked at the read-out and it said 87. I went to McKenna's room and stood up in his chair to see if the air was cool coming out of the vent. I am only 5'3" so I really couldn't tell if the air was even blowing. I went into panic mode thinking, "Great, its just my luck, Friday afternoon and I need an A/C repairman." Luckily, my bother was at the ranch this week so I tracked him down and asked him if he had time to come check it out. He hopped in the truck and came over. He came inside, looked at the unit, went outside, took the cover off, listened, looked, wiggled some fuses, AND wa-la! The fan started right up! We went in and waited a little bit to see if the temp was coming down, indeed is was. Praise the Lord, this girl doesn't like to be hot! Randy tested some of the vents and all seemed to check out fine! He seems to think the recent electricity surges from the thunderstorms made it go wacky! Moral of this story - I am SOOO thankful to have connections within the family!

Just a note...

It has been pointed out to me that I didn't mention anything Hunter got to do this weekend! What kind of mother am I??!!%*# First, I want to start by saying, McK and Hunter are two VERY different kids!! Hunter is a shopaholic, doesn't like anything physical or hot, not really keen on the idea of cleaning her room and would much rather sit out on the patio and love on the dogs! She is very lovable and fashionable. McKenna is athletic, charming, and likes to be outdoors. He doesn't like to shop, in fact his school clothes request were 2 pair of Cinch jeans. Which he intends on me going to get WITHOUT him! So, back to where I began, when we got to OKC Saturday, we hit Penn Square Mall. Hunter and I went our way and Clint and McK went straight to the movie theater. (Clint doesn't like to shop either!) She drug me to every store in the mall!!! She is only 10 but no one needed to show her where the dressing rooms were! We found several great deals and left with several bags on each arm. Hunter enjoyed the ballgame but, like I said, she doesn't do heat! It wasn't really that hot, but oh so humid!! We melted. Sunday, the Cowboy Hall of Fame didn't really interest her either. But, when you have two kids you have to make them both happy. We really did enjoy our trip, though!! ALL 4 OF US!

Now, on to my new "project." For several years now, my dream is to create and produce clothing and accessories for babies and children. My own boutique would be a fantasy, anyway, here is a little sass for a soon-to-be named Elyse! Isn't it precious??

Weekend Recap

We had a really good quick trip to OKC. The Cowboy Hall of Fame was very interesting. They had an awesome art exhibit, all cowboy related, of course. There were some breath-taking paintings. Some were so good it looked like a photograph. It was neat to share some culture with the kiddos, everybody needs a little sometime!! McKenna absorbed the rodeo exhibit, I don't know if it is always there, but the Gaylord section was set up like a mini-arena. You walked through and they had all of the categories explained. We sailed through all except the bullriding, of course! We poured over various pieces of equipment that once belonged to Lane Frost and Freckles Brown. We stared at pictures and watched video clips and 2 hours later walked out with a little boy on cloud 9!! If you ever visit the OKC area, stop by the National Cowboy Hall of Fame!
Drove home through some dark clouds, unfortunately never saw actual raindrops. We were hoping to have a little rain shower.
I walked 2 miles when we got home and worked on some sewing projects I needed to finish. I made out my menu and grocery list for the week, that is one of the things that really helps me stay focused on my "new way of eating." (Notice - I did NOT say diet) It helps to see my week and have some idea of what I will be eating, preparation is the key for me.
Want to send a big birthday wish out to my sweet nephew Garrett! Happy Birthday, G-Man!!! We love you very much!
Have a great week everyone!

Mini-vacation

The family and I are in Oklahoma City this weekend on a little "mini" vacation. Clint asked me earlier in the week if I wanted to go somewhere this weekend and I jumped at the chance. Being married to a farm boy sometimes has its disadvantages, summer being one of them! When he gets home from his "real" job he jumps on the tractor and I usually don't see him until way after the sun goes down. So, here we are. We took in a OKC Redhawks game this evening and it was really cool. The small ballpark feel was so neat. We set right behind home plate so we were right on top of the action. McKenna and I stood in line for an hour to get Andre Dawson's autograph. He was set up to sign from 7 to 9 and we got in line at 7:45 - at 8:55 we finally got up to the table. I was really getting nervous they would shut down right in front of us! Andre Dawson was an awesome baseball player in his prime. McKenna said I was a pretty good mom to stand in line with him for an hour! That was sweet. We had dessert from the Cheesecake Factory! Yummy! Shhhhh! Don't tell the diet police!!
I am now sitting in bed with Clint's laptop! What I would give for wireless internet at home!!!
We are off to the Cowboy Hall of Fame tomorrow. I am excited because we haven't told McK where we are going. He will be beside himself!

Day One

Day one. Only a gazillion more to go!! I started an exercise program today. It's my sister's fault!! She got the great idea to go on a cruise next summer. Great! Now I have to lose weight. Don't get me wrong, I need to, but, now I'm forced to!! So, here I go. I walked 45 minutes today. My goal is to do something at least 4 days a week. When I get used to that I will increase to 5. I have been doing Weight Watchers over the summer and had lost 10 pounds but lately I have been eating everything in sight. I have gained 4 back, so I have to get in gear. Just pray I can do this! I'll let you know how it goes. I would love to have a walking partner so if you're up for it, give me a call.

My new "favorite thing"

MONOGRAMS!!! I have seen monograms becoming very popular! and I love it! I have recently purchased several "P" things without really paying that much attention to my growing monogram collection. This yard flag was my most recent purchase, doesn't it look great in my flower bed? Now, if only my dog will leave it alone!

I had a very full weekend...Friday, I spent the evening at my friend Pam's house getting ready for our garage sale on Saturday. We had a great time, it was pretty hot but there were 7 people so it didn't take long to get organized. We had pizza for dinner and it was yummy!

Saturday, I got up early and drove over to Paris for the yard sale. We had a successful day and the temp stayed below 100, we were so thankful! Pam made the best breakfast AND lunch. She is a great cook and made the yummyest monkey bread for breakfast and the best chicken salad I have ever eaten for lunch! I will pass along the recipe if she doesn't mind. I mentioned she was a great cook, well, as I was having a second helping of chicken salad, I noticed she had a bundle of recipes by her stove, they were labeled "recipes I have NOT tried." How clever is that? I just have all mine stuffed together and never know when I made it or not. Let's just say my OCD tendancy kicked in and I am in the process of re-organizing my recipe box! Thanks, Pam!

I met my mom Saturday evening and we had dinner at Roma's in Durant, (yummy!) and went to see the Oklahoman Shakespearen Festival's production of "Honky Tonk Angels." It was really good. We usually attend at least one of the plays each summer. We had a few spare minutes and popped into Bliss Boutique, that's where I got my "P" flag.

We went to church on Sunday, I substitued for the children's dept teacher and afterwards I came home and took a long nap. How I love Sunday afternoon naps! I finished mowing and then I cooked dinner for Clint. Gosh, how does the weekend pass so fast? Tomorrow is Monday and I have a very busy week ahead.

Is there such a thing as "summer cleaning?"

I have had a very productive evening. My good friend Pam and I are having a garage sale this weekend. I have been cleaning out my closet and am officially "shirtless." Clint and I stood in our closet and took out everything we haven't worn this season or last. We currently have about 20 items of clothing between us now! That is awful that we had that many things we didn't wear. Sad to say we got rid of 2 t-shirts we bought on our honeymoon to Walt Disney World 9 years ago!! Ridiculous! I feel very good now, it is awesome to walk into the closet and be able to put things away without having to shove stuff out of the way. I love organization. Now, on to another room!!

Happy Saturday!

Wow! What a week this has been! Vacation Bible School and McKenna was in baseball playoffs. We had a great VBS and lots of kids!! There were many hilarious episodes this week, that's what happens when you have 15-20 preschool kids. After the week, all the stories, games, and crafts, one little one put it all into perspective - "My brain can't think anymore!"

McKenna's team ended up 2nd place in the Cal Ripken League! Not bad for a group of boys that couldn't buy a win the beginning of the year! We had a fun summer of great baseball. McKenna really did well with his pitching and his hitting! We are so proud of him!

It's officially 4 weeks until the beginning of school! Yeah! I love the beginning of school. New supplies, crisp clothes, schedules! I love a routine!

My nieces go home tomorrow. They have been visiting for the summer, I'm gonna really miss them. They are "tweens" -it's very different than having young children. I just sit and listen to them, ah, to be a teenager again! Such excitement.

Have a great day!

How do you like the new layout?

Just a quick note to see what you think of the new blog design. My Friend, Kelly, at Fabulous K Creative did it for me! Isn't it adorable. Perfect for summer. Leave me some blog love and tell me what you think!

Baseball update: We won tonight and are playing for the league championship Tuesday night at 7:30. McKenna is on cloud nine!!

Happy Independence Day!!

I celebrated a day off of work today by making a little "eye candy" for my front door. Granted, no one but the occasional visitor will see it since I live in the middle of no where, but it makes me very happy!! And, my nest of new baby birds seem to love it!!

Here are the before and after pictures!