Thanksgiving Memories

And just like that...it's December!!  Can you believe it?  I have exactly 19 Christmas presents bought so far, but I still have a long way to go.  Right now, I'm more concerned with Christmas cards...see, Anna and Jake HATE posing for their picture and to add insult to injury, Anna is now saying she is too old for her picture to be on a Christmas card!!!  The nerve!!! I LOVE getting Christmas cards  from our family and friends that have pictures!!  Everyday during the holiday season Anna and Jake can't wait to get to the mailbox to see if there is a new card....and hoping it is a picture of someone in our family or an old friend from Pine Bluff, or a new little one that we've yet to even see.  So, with all this being said, we will dress, we will smile, and we WILL enjoy having our Christmas card published for the world to see!!  


We had a wonderful Thanksgiving Holiday.  We had our first Thanksgiving Feast at our church on the Sunday before Thanksgiving.  There was more food than you could imagine.  I brought Cranberry-Orange Relish and it was a hit.  Several people asked me for the recipe afterwards, so I'll post it here for anyone who wants to try it for Christmas....

Cranberry-Orange Relish
2 navel oranges
zest of one of navel oranges
1 red delicious apple, cored, but NOT peeled
1 pound bag fresh cranberries
1 1/2 cups sugar

After getting the zest of one orange, peel both oranges and place ALL ingredients in food processor and chop fine.  Store in refrigerator overnight.  Enjoy.

Anna's class had a dinner at the First Baptist Church in Clarksville last Monday.  It was really nice and their teacher, Mrs. Amanda Banning, is the greatest for doing this each year.  She absolutely does it out of the goodness of her heart and I am so thankful for teachers like her.  We went to see Joe's side of the family on Thanksgiving Day.  Spent the day eating and visiting mostly.  We had Thanksgiving dinner with my mom and dad on Saturday night.  It was good to just relax and enjoy our family.  


We have a new addition to our ever-growing family......

Her name is Bella.  She is about 2 1/2 months old and weighs 2.4 pounds.  She is really sweet and seems to be getting along with Jada, our Yorkie, pretty well.  She came from Needy Paws and we are in love with her.  She has a personality all her own and is never far from us.  We had to talk Joe into getting her, he is not a "cat-person"....

They seem to be rubbing off on each other!  haha


Anna has been pretty busy with cheerleading.  She has started basketball season, so the games come a lot more frequently.  We play Pottsville on Thursday night.  She has her fall dance on Friday night.  The girls are going to dress up a little more for this one, so it ought to be fun to snap some pictures!  They have a Christmas band concert on Sunday afternoon.  

Jake hasn't started basketball at the boys club yet, but when he does things will be a little busier again.  I'm enjoying the break, but I know it will not last.

That is about all around here.  Will hopefully start decorating for Christmas this week.  It has started getting colder at night.....we had our first frost last week.  


Bye for now...


Candy

Dreams Can Come True

Several years ago, before the kids were very old, we had season tickets to see the Razorbacks play football.  Due to the crazy expense and the fact that we seemed to never go, we stopped getting tickets.  Well, now that we have an 11 year old football fanatic, we may have to reconsider this move.  If you know Jake, you probably know that football is one of the 5 food groups!!  Well, last weekend he finally went to see the Hogs in action!  He is a Georgia fan, but the fact that we could actually SEE a college game was a dream come true for him.  Joe had decided a couple of weeks ago that we WOULD go to a Razorback game this year if he had to sell something to get tickets!!  Well, needless to say, he didn't have to sell anything, but anyway, we had a great time.  Joe found tickets on the internet and Jake got to sit on the 50 yard line, 3rd row up!!  He was practically on the field!!  We ended up taking 6 kids, none of which had ever been to a Razorback game, so it fun to see all the excitement in their eyes. 

Here come the Hogs!!

After the game, the boys went as close to the field as they could get and got to give all the players Hi-5s!!


Jake said that was the coolest part of the game, but personally, I think it was the look on their faces when we walked out of the gate and saw the field.  It was truly priceless.  I'm glad we were able to take their friends along for the fun!!

This is Jake with his friend, Logan.

This is Tanner, Anna, Ashley and Trey after the game

Quarterback, Ryan Mallett

I think before it was over, Jake even thought this guy was pretty cool!!

Here are a couple more quick pictures....

And the really cool thing is...next Saturday, we get to do it all over again.  A friend got us tickets on the 2ND ROW!!!  Man, life is really good!!  This time we get to go onto the field and watch the players warm up before the game.  I don't know if Jake will be able to handle the excitement!!  I can't wait to see his face when he gets to see those players face-to-face!!  Believe me, if it is allowed, I will have camera in hand!!

For my scrappy bloggers, have you been following Kristina Werner's blog?  She is doing a card-making video everyday for a month, I think....what was she thinking?  Anyway, she made this one a week or so ago and I tried it.

It was made using a Cricut, so I was really excited to get to pull mine out!  I wish I could hand-make my Christmas cards this year, but I don't know if I have the dedication to tackle that.  Anna told me this morning that she was getting to old to take a Christmas picture, so who knows??

I would like to wish all the Veteran's a Happy Veteran's Day!  Thank you for your service to us all, for protecting our country and fighting for our freedom and the freedom of others!  A special thanks to my favorite U.S. MARINE...Bobby Lee Holly (my sweet Daddy!!)

Better get going....got to pick up the kiddos from school, then its off to church! 

Bye for now.......

Candy

It's Fall Ya'll

The fall weather has been wonderful the last few days.  We have been a little chilly in the mornings....about 47 degrees when I took the kids to school at 7:15.  I can't wait to get the hot tub cleaned up and running for these cool fall nights.  

Anna and her friend, Shanae decided to dress up for Halloween this year.....don't know why, but they did.  They began looking through our old costume stash Saturday afternoon and this is what they came up with...Gypsy Shanae and Dorothy!! 

I thought they turned out pretty cute, but not sure 13 year olds need to be Trick or Treating!!  They took Jake and Logan along as "Football Players" ...one a Steeler and one a Colt.  I didn't get a picture of them, but trust me, they were cute too!

This is a picture I took last night after Jake got out of the bath tub.  Did I ever say he was a little OCD? 

He keeps his room spotless, keeps all his videogames stuff in its place, keeps all his toys that "belong together" in ziplock bags, etc.  After he finished bathing last night, I went back in to brush my teeth and found all his sea creatures lined up to dry off.  For some reason, it was funny that he didn't just throw them in a pile to let them dry!  Anna saw them laying out this morning and started laughing and said, " If those were mine, I wouldn't have gotten them out of the tub at all, much less, lined them up like that!!"  I guess that's the funny part, Anna is the TOTAL OPPOSITE of Jake.  One is VERY left-brained and one is VERY right-brained!!


We FINALLY get to go to a Razorback game this weekend!!  Joe got on the internet and lucked up with GREAT tickets...50 yard line, row 3!! Then today, a friend asked him if he wanted 4 more!!  So looks like we will be cheering on the Hogs against South Carolina on Saturday!  Then next weekend we are going back to Fayetteville, but this time, we have Hospitality Passes and get to go on the field before the game to watch the players warm up, attend some meetings with the coaches, and some other cool stuff that I can't quite remember right now..but I promise I will have my camera close to snap some good shots!  Jake is over the top excited about touching the turf field!!  That will be a shot I have GOT to get!!


The moon was beautiful last night....believe it or not I took this picture through my kitchen window, through the lens of our telescope!!  I thought it turned out pretty good, but wish I could have zoomed in a little more.

Well, gotta run.....thanks for checking up on my blog and I will return soon!!


Bye for now!!


Candy

Hello!!

Sorry,  I've been neglecting you but I just didn't "feel" like blogging...but, for today, I'm back with LOTS to blog about....

We've had a pretty busy last couple of weeks... Jake finally finished football season on the 24th.  We didn't win very many games, but you would never know it by talking to Jake.  He had a blast!!  He is now ready for basketball season, which starts in a few weeks.  At least we get to be inside for basketball!!  

 Jake waiting to play

We went to Canton, Texas for "Canton Trade Days" the first of the month.  We stayed at a different hotel this time...The Bent Tree, in Emory.  It wasn't anything fancy, but nice.  We ate at our favorite breakfast restaurant, Don's, a couple of times.  Didn't get a whole lot, but enjoyed looking and did get a couple of Christmas gifts. 

Gran and Papa ready to shop

Tonight is our next-to-last high school football game.  The temperature is suppose to be in the 40's....brrrr!  Looks like I will be loading up on the hot chocolate!  After the game, we will go to 5th quarter at East Mount Zion Baptist Church.  They will be having a cookout complete with hayride for the kids!  It should be a lot of fun.  

Anna has one more game for footbll this year.  She had a pep rally last week...GO PANTHERS!!

October 28th was my Mom's birthday.   We took her out to eat at Mulan's in Russellville.  We came home and had cake as she opened presents.  She got several calls from her girlfriends in Charleston and that really made her day special.  

Now, let me tell you a funny little story....I had a birthday on the 19th.  That morning, we awoke to find we had caught a little mouse under our refrigerator.  This was the first mouse we had ever seen in our house, so it was kind of a new thing for us....I told Joe to come and get the mouse off, so he obliged (what could he say....it WAS my birthday!!).  Joe reached under the frig to pull out the trap, only to have it slide back under the frig, as if by MAGIC!!  Again, Joe pulled the  trap out, only to have it pulled back under once again!  The last time he pulled it out he saw that the mouse had been only partially caught only by his back hip and it seemed he couldn't free himself.  By this time, the kids had gathered and Joe told me to fetch him a pair of gloves.  I did as he asked, but instead of latex gloves, apparently he wanted "protective" gloves to keep from getting bitten by the mouse.  Anyway, I got him another pair of gloves and he proceeded to free the mouse.  By this time, Anna was begging us to not hurt the mouse any further.  She pleaded for us to let her keep the mouse and take it to the vet for treatment!!  This was about the time that my loving parents called and began singing, "Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birthday to you, Happy Birth.......okay, here we are....Joe on his hands and knees trying to free a rodent, Anna and Jake begging can we keep him, and me running around looking for a box to put the mouse in, while Mama and Daddy are singing to the top of their lungs!!!  Looking back on it we must have looked like a bunch of idiots!!  Anyway, I explained to my parents that I had a "situation", that I appreciated their thoughts, but that I really needed to get back to my family!  They understood.  I finally found a box and we gently placed the mouse in his new "temporary" home and everyone went about their normal routines.  I explained to Anna that we couldn't keep her new-found friend, but that I would not kill him.  That day, on the way to town, I dropped the little critter off at an abandoned neighbor's house with a soft, warm blanket that I had cut just for him.  He seemed happy the last time I saw him, but I warned him not to show back up at our house ever again.  I think he understood.....


Last Friday night, we went to watch our high school ballgame in Pottsville.  I left my car at Joe's office, because he didn't get off work in time to come home before the game.  So, anyway, we were in separated cars on the way home.  Jake and his friend, Logan,  were with Joe and Anna and her boyfriend, Tanner, were with me....following Joe and the boys.  Joe saw a deer coming out onto the road in front of him and tried to slow down to miss him, but clipped him with his front headlight and the deer apparently swung around and hit his drivers-side door.  We were about 50 yards behind him and saw the entire thing, so I stopped in the middle of the road and put my headlights on the deer so Joe could get it out of the road.  Joe and the boys got out of the truck to move the deer when we all started noticing the deer move around and finally sit up in the road.  He had landed in the opposite lane and we were worried about oncoming traffic.  Thankfully, there were no cars coming in either direction, so we were safe for the moment.  Finally, the deer stood up and Joe and the boys got back in the truck and drove on toward home.  The deer was still in front of us, though, about 30 yards, and I had my lights shining on him.  He stood motionless and I was scared he was going to just stand in the middle of the road and get hit again, so I blew my horn to coax him into running back into the woods.    APPARENTLY, this was not a smart idea, because when I did, the deer came running full force directly at my car and jumped on THE HOOD, slid off the side and hit my passenger's side rear-view mirror!!  

Anna and I just screamed!  Did that really just happen??  I have never heard of a deer jumping onto a car like that!!  It was quite an experience, one that I hope never happens again!!


Well, I've got to go get ready for the game tonight.  I hope everyone has a safe and wonderful Halloween!!  

And here are a couple of pictures from Clarksville.... 

Bye for now....


Candy

It's Friday!!

Happy Friday everyone!!  I love Fridays....end of the work week for Joe and end of the school week for the kiddos!!  I especially love fall Fridays, because it means more FOOTBALL!  

Anna had a game last night, but we lost.  Our boys tried really hard, but they just couldn't beat Boonville.  Anna's friend, Saylor, is the mascot.  It is so neat to watch her personality transform in that suit!!  She is a great mascot for the Panthers!!

We are having a get together tomorrow for the Arkansas/Alabama game.  We kind of got into a pickle, because Jake's 2 games that were scheduled for last Tuesday got rained (flooded) out, so they conveniently rescheduled them for the exact time as the Razorback game......I guess we'll just do the best that we can now...Joe will host the party and I will be at Jake's games. 

Not really sure what all we are going to have for the party...I've already decided on Crock Pot Meatballs and probably 7-layer Dip.  I also want to make cupcakes for the kids and some sort of cheeseball.  Other than than, I'm really not sure......What would Paula Deen do?  I'll figure it all out this afternoon.

Not much else going on here.  Mr. Melson is cutting our hay, thank goodness.  It was getting way too tall for my liking!!  Going to take it easy tonight.  The Panthers are out of town and we would rather stay home.  Maybe go out for supper and call it a day!

Hope you have a GREAT weekend!!

Bye for now......

Candy

Hello BlogWorld

Thought I'd change up the look of my blog a little.  For some reason I just wasn't "feeling" the other one, so *poof*....I got another theme.  Hope you like it!

Not just a lot going on around here lately...other than, cheerleading, football, tumbling, school, etc.  Seems like this time of year gets really busy with the kids.  It has rained over 10 inches so far this month, so we've been spending a lot of time inside. 

Joe and Jake are getting ready for deer season.  They shot at our haybale in the front yard last weekend.

They even let me try my skills out...

Jake had his birthday party last Saturday!  He only wanted a cheeseburger and a coconut cake!  He got what he asked for and I think he was pretty happy. 

Anna and Shanae at their first peprally of the year.

I think I am going to start our supper now, Lasagna!  I hope you have a great day!!

Bye for now.....

Candy

Another Small Town Friday Night

It has been a long week with school, practices, games, etc. So far we have slipped by the flu, but I don't know how much longer we can hide. Joe had 50 patients scheduled for clinic today, so lots of people are really sick. Anna said one day this week they had 100 kids out of school. Just about everyone has been sick. Anna and Jake both felt a little headache and stomach ache earlier in the week, but I gave them some medicine before bed and the next morning they were much better. We had our flu shots over 2 weeks ago, but it won't be effective for the Swine Flu. Anna and Jake are faithful about using hand sanitizer, but I know that will only get us so far!

We have another ballgame tonight. The Jr. High lost last night in Huntsville.

Sign-up fee: $50
Practice jersey: $22
Cleats: $19.98
Socks: $2.99
Underarmour: $50
Watching your son play football: *Priceless*


Jake started his football practice yesterday. He LOVED every minute of it. He just beams when someone asks him about practice or playing. I LOVE that he LOVES it. I guess it has always been a dream of mine to watch my daughter cheer and my son play football. I'm living that dream now and I am so proud of them both.

Joe's sister's daughter and son-in-law have a new addition to their family! This is Nash and his sister Ashlynn....


And here is another shot of Nash...


Congratulations Lindsay and Michael...they are both beautiful!

Joe is on call this weekend, so we'll be hanging out here watching college football and maybe working in the yard a little if the rain holds off.

I finally got my internet working in my scrapbook room...after talking to Amy at Linksys Tech Support....she got a little snippy with me a few times, but we muddled through and after an hour or so...BINGO...I have internet. Maybe now I can get some creative juices flowing and scrap. I've already got a few things in the works for Christmas cards, so we'll see how that turns out. First though, I want to make some SPOOKY treats!

Better get going..lots to do before the big game tonight!

Bye for now....GO PANTHERS!!!

Football Frenzy

If you hate football, you probably had a pretty boring weekend, but around here, it doesn't get any better than opening weekend of college football. It all started with Anna's Jr. High game on Thursday night in Mayflower. It was a beautiful night. We met some friends there that are originally from Pine Bluff. The Chambliss' moved to Mayflower a few weeks ago and their twin boys, Madison and Bradley, are playing on the football team.(Madison was Anna's very first boyfriend at Trinity Episcopal School in Pine Bluff) I can still remember taking a picture of them when they won Valentine King and Queen of their kindergarten class!! It was so funny to watch them be re-introduced after 7 years!! Anyway, we had a great visit with some old friends and it was really good to see them after so long. To make the night even better, WE WON!!

Friday night was our first highschool game of the year, so we couldn't wait! The weather was "if-fy" with the threat of thunderstorms, but the rain held off and it was a perfect night for highschool football. Gran and Papa went to cheer on the Panthers too! It was good to see all of our friends and socialize! AND WE WON!! The HOGS won too!!! Does it get any better? I don't think so...well, maybe if Ole Miss had lost, but, oh well....

The rest of the weekend was filled with lots of food, football and some work in the yard. Anna and Jake had Trey and Brandon come over....Jake was in heaven because Brandon is the quarterback of the Jr. Panthers and Trey is running back, so needless to say, all Jake wanted to do was play football! The boys were great and tossed the ball with him.

I have often thought that when it is 70 degrees and breezy outside that I'd love it to stay like that year round, but I do love the change of seasons...there is just something about a new season that makes me look forward to what is to come. Right now I can't wait till there is a little chill in the air at night so Joe and I can light a fire outside and talk about our day. And I know in February I'll be ready to plant flowers and get the pool ready for summer! Maybe if I hadn't lived in the south all my life I'd see things differently, but I think living here fits me perfectly.

Jake gets his football equipment tonight at 6. He is so excited to start practice. His girlfriend, Hailey, is cheering, but we're not sure which team she is cheering for....hopefully it will be The Steelers!!

Bye for now....

Candy

Just wanted to check in with a quick post. Anna has a ballgame in Mayflower tonight. It will take us about an hour or so to get there, so as soon as Joe gets off we will make the trip. She is so excited to be cheering. I'll have my camera, of course, so get ready for some pictures to come your way.

About Anna's detention...she forgot to bring a paper back to school that I was suppose to sign. It's long story that I won't even attempt to get into, but suffice it to say, she had detention and the paper is signed. Unfortunately, she LOVED detention. She said it was "awesome". Can you believe that? She actually liked it! I told her that I didn't care how much she liked it, she better not make a habit of going there.

Jake will be playing 5th grade football for the Steelers! Joe answered the call from the coach and didn't catch the coaches name, so we'll have to wait until next Tuesday to know who will be coaching him. This is what I thought of Joe after he told me he didn't "catch" the name...


We will go to the high school game tomorrow night...hopefully it won't rain. The Razorback game is in Little Rock, but we won't be going. Hoping to have a great weekend with the entire family...Joe's older sons from Warren are suppose to come, so it will be a full house!! Should be lots of FUN!! I'll try to post tomorrow with a few pictures! Hope you have a great day!!

Bye for now.

Busy Week

It seems the busy season is upon us! It has been a nice LONG summer, but now the fun begins. Football season is gearing up and everywhere you turn, people are excited. The nice 60-70 degree weather has made it that much worse....perfect Football Weather! Anna cheers at her first game this Thursday against Mayflower. She is SO excited and so are we!!

Jake signed up for football last Friday, but was very disappointed that he didn't get to pick up his pads at the same time, as we had done for years in the past. He gets them, instead, on September 8th. He and Joe have been throwing the football every afternoon for the last week just to make sure he is ready!!

This weekend was wonderful....with the cooler than normal weather, the grass didn't grow so much this week, so no mowing!! We actually slept late on Saturday! That doesn't happen too much around here!!! We went to the fair again Saturday night. Anna's bestfriend, Shanae, was in the Fair Pageant and won 1st runner up!! We were so proud of her. She was beautiful!

Sunday, we went to church and spent the rest of the day doing as little as possible. Joe and Jake planted our "fall garden" and planted some winter wheat, chicory, peas and turnips for the deer.

(Notice Jake in the bucket!!)

It was a perfect weekend.

Today is the start of another busy week....already got a text from Anna...




This is DEFINITELY not the way I wanted to start this week off!! Uggghhhh!!

I think I'll go back to bed and start over again........

Bye for now.

Candy


ohhhhh, as I was finishing this up, a sweet little man in a Big Brown Truck rang the doorbell with a small happy that I bought myself last week!! YIPEE!! Things are getting better already!!

Goat in the House

( FOR SOME REASON ONLY ONE PICTURE WOULD UPLOAD....I'LL EDIT LATER TODAY!!)

Sometimes I wonder why crazy things happen to us, but I guess it is what makes life worth living!! Last Sunday, after church, our family had somewhat of a "circus". My sweet Daddy sent out an e-mail to his entire address book, so you may have already read this......

Yep we had a visitor yesterday a GOAT, which got in our house!! the picture is the proof.
He just showed up in our yard the dogs started chasing him Gran opens the kitchen door to see what was going on, thats when the goat ran pass, over Gran into the house. Sort of a "Granma got run over by a reindeer situation"
She only got a couple bruises, she will be ok. I did hear her telling some one about it in her sleep last night, so her mental state is in question.
How do you get a head butting, gas filled, goat out of a house, it took about 30 minutes for two doctors to do the job.
That goat passed gas the whole time he was in the house, PHEW YUCK!!! We released him out side, tried to run him off, but he won't leave. He just stands on the kitchen steps waiting for someone to crack the door. Candy caught him trying to eat her Japanese Maple which she spent a lot for. So now someone will have to setup with the plants at night or we can put the goat on lock down in the dog pen. We decided to evict the dogs and put the goat in.
Now the goat is happy, Candy and her family are happy, Gran is happy the dogs are very unhappy. We tried to give him away but to our surprise no one wants a goat. If you know any one who wants a head butting gas fill goat please contact us, FREE delivery is possible.



bobby lee

First thing Monday morning, I put a lost and found ad on the radio and, believe it or not, have had several calls from people that want to give him a good home. He is very friendly to us, but the kids still have the sight of him head-butting Dixie in their minds, so they are still a little nervous!! Hopefully, after today, he'll be settled in a new home.

This was our first full week of school and so far it has been great! Jake really likes his teachers, so that makes life a lot easier....he has never been one to complain about a teacher, but I can tell when he really likes one of them.

When you live in the country, like we do, kids seem to find the best things to do with what is available......here is a picture of the kids with Shanae last Saturday while they were Land Tubing!!

We had the county fair this week, which for our town is a really big deal. We went on Tuesday and it was a lot of fun for the kids. Anna went with her friend, Shanae, and Jake met his girlfriend, Hailey. It was nice that they both had someone to ride the rides with too! Hailey had us worried at first. She didn't want to ride ANYTHING!! Her grandmother said she didn't really ride things and probably wouldn't ride with Jake. After about 15 minutes though, Jake had her riding EVERYTHING!! I was relieved! Here is a picture of them...they even "posed" for a few pictures!!

It was a great evening. There wasn't a large crowd and the weather was perfect! Yesterday, I finally played a little in my scrapbook room and made a card for a dear friend. She is going through a tough time in her life, but she is showing amazing strength. It has been way too long since I got to "play" and I was a little rusty, but it didn't take long for me to get back into it again.


This afternoon, Jake FINALLY gets to register for football!! He is BEYOND excited!! Anna has her first ballgame next Thursday at Mayflower. It is going to get really busy, but that is okay. I'm ready to hit the stands and cheer on the Panthers!! Better get moving. Lots of errands to run before I pick up the kids at school.

Bye for now!

Candy

First Day of School 2009

Yesterday was Anna and Jake's first day of school. Anna and I had a hard time sleeping the night before, which made it rough for the first day!! I don't know if we were just excited or what...I think I was just worried I was going to oversleep!! Nevertheless, we got up on time and made it without being tardy!

Both Anna and Jake seemed to enjoy their first day of school. Jake moved to middle school which is a little different for him. He only has to change classes 3 times, but it is still a little overwhelming at first. Anna didn't have as many classes with her "friends", but she seemed to survive pretty well.

I helped my friend, Holly, paint her kitchen/dining room yesterday, so I really didn't get to do much at home. No clothes washed, no floors vacuumed, no dishes washed...oh, well. Our painting looked really good. We used a creamy, buttery color. I can't wait for her tile and backsplash to go in so we can see it all put together.

Today was a different story!! I have washed at least 4 loads of laundry and in case you hadn't noticed....I revamped my blog! It was a little time-consuming, but I really like the new look.

Tomorrow is the start of football season, sort of...we have the Red and White scrimmage!! It is also the annual Chicken Dinner. The Jr. High Cheerleaders are sponsoring it, so I'll have to work for a while. It should be fun getting back into the swing of things again. It has rained here all day and a cool front has started coming through, so maybe it will be a comfortable night of football!!

Well, gotta run wash dishes and get ready for Joe to come home. Happy Birthday Brandon!! We love and miss you!

Bye for now!

Another new post

New post at my "other " blog site!!!


http://web.me.com/cdunaway/Life_on_the_Hill

New post

I posted today....

http://web.me.com/cdunaway/Life_on_the_Hill

Cheating

I have a confession....I've been cheating. Well, not really in a bad way, but I've been blogging somewhere else. I got a new computer about 2 weeks ago and it is an iMac. It has a "built in" type blogging program and it is so much easier and more convenient than Blogger. I thought I'd try it for a while and see how I liked it before completely changing over. The only draw back that i have found so far is that it doesn't have a "comments" area, but since no one ever leaves me a comment, I don't think it will be a problem. Here is the website:

http://web.me.com/cdunaway/Life_on_the_Hill/Welcome.html

There is a welcome page, then a blog page, so check them out and tell me what you think. You can leave a comment here on my Blogger page and I'll check back to see what you think. I really think the new site will help me to blog more often. I'll be back for an update soon!
Bye for now....

Candy

Hello Monday!

It has been a quiet, nice day today! Anna is a cheerleading camp all day and Jake spent the night with his friend, David, so I have had the house totally and completely to myself!! I almost forgot how much fun that can be....

I have been taking a self-paced, online photo-editing class by Jessica Sprague for about 8 days now and have been having a blast learning new techniques. I won't use these on many of my photos, but it is fun to mix it up a little every once in a while. Here is one that I did of Anna...

This is the first picture (straight out of the camera)

and this is the technique I learned today...

Like I said, I won't use this much, but it is fun to play around with these features of photoshop and see what you can create.

Other than that, it's been hot and humid here...rained early this morning and now 93 degrees outside. Joe has been picking peas every day after work and we have shelled them every night for the last 2 weeks. We are getting about a bushel each day now, but I'm really hoping it starts slowing down some. I'm not sure how many bags I have put up, but probably close to 25 or 30.

Anna made me watch "The Notebook" last night. We started watching it at 9:30 and after 2 solid hours of crying, I finally made it to bed at 12:30!! She has already seen it 2 other times and has been begging me to watch it with her for a week! She knows what a sap I am and she knew it would tug at my heartstrings...boy was she right. It really was a good movie and I loved the story of Allie and Noah. If you like love stories, and haven't seen it yet, it really is a good one.

Speaking of love stories, Joe and I have our 14th anniversary Thursday, so I got us a room at The Peabody in Little Rock for Friday night. I'm hoping we get there in time to eat at Gaucho's. It is delicious and we haven't been there in a long time. I think Gran and Papa will probably meet us in LR Saturday with the kids and we'll play around (shop) for a while. It will be nice to get away from the yard work for a weekend.

I've got to go pick up Anna and Jake now, so have a great day and I'll post again soon!

Bye for now!