Wordless Wednesday: At the Creek

Why, no. Actually I am NOT going.

WELCOME!! Blog Hoppers and Blogher @ Home Tourers!

I am not going to BlogHer and this is my post to prove it. But, I am, however, participating in the above Blog Hop and Blogher@home instead. Almost as good as going to Chicago. Um, almost.


Now that you are here, I am happy to have you look around. You can also Follow me ontwitter, find me on, and well, comment of course. Just don't stalk me, k?

My family is mainly what I write about, so my blog has been on a little hiatus this summer since I am trying to keep them entertained with fun stuff, making memories, and from killing each other- or me. But, I'll get back to writing juicy stuff-especially if more of ya'll stick around. I've got all kinds a good stuff coming up! Like: "Why, no. We are NOT on Toddlers and Tiaras"- but my girl has won a lot of stuff pageanting around and the like this summer. It was all HER idea. Believe me when I say I would NEVER have offered to do them if she hadn't begged. And what can I say? She is good and all. I, myself, would have encouraged a MUCH cheaper hobby.

I also have this one to write about. He is my great little left handed baseball player. Baseball is our spring/summer gig. Football is fast approaching, which is quickly followed up with wrestling. You see, I REALLY like driving small people around. A lot. It's like my favorite.

Glad you visited us at the Southern Family. While it's always a shock that I am not, in fact, from the deep south, we do live sort of south in OK. And of course, I consider myself southern- however Southern is our last name. I know, I know. NO one gets it (except MaryAnne, who pointed out, she did get it).

Come again, ya'll!

the hiatus

*sigh* I suppose I should post so I don't get in trouble with mai advertisers. Although- I've been sending peeps this way thru old posts- so they shouldn't worry. I've had traffic. Actually I got paid for ads this month for the 2nd time! Woot! All thanks to www.thenesternc.com and a few other bloggy carnivals who sent folks over in the past few weeks!

I'm blogging from my itouch, typing with one hand, while a certain 5 yo is on my lap for her bop-a-bye time. I've got lots of summer stories to post and pics to share- but I can't post pics to blogger from itouch. They are suppose to be working on that (for like a year!). Anyhow my point is, I rarely want to sit in there at the desktop to write and since my 2nd crappy DELL laptop died there isn't another choice. Sure, people, I'd love a mac book. I'd also love the funds for one! Then I could get the surgery I need, or the computer. Tough choices.

So, back to the point o
f this story which is I'm having a summer hiatus of sorts. We've been doing and going- and trying to make sure the kids have fun is putting a cramp in my blogging and Twitter and scrabble playing. And we haven't even gotten to do half the things I wanted yet. Now school supplies are out and I'm wondering where the summer went already! I'm going back on hiatus for a bit longer. I'm going to try and fill up what's left of summer with some more fun stuff!

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

The Death of Laptop #2

Well, the 2nd Dell laptop I've had this year has kicked the bucket. And it has the 4th of July pics on it, along with several others. I am hoping most of those are on Facebook. I am now not a fan of the stinky DELL. Not at all. Do you hear that DELL peeps! NOT A FAN OF YOU.

Here is my facebook link: http://www.facebook.com/ajsouthern Be my friend and you can see all the pics you want!

We are busy this weekend preparing for more pageantry and a baseball tourney (In Chicka-stinking-sha, where the Holiday Inn Express price gauges bc they know everything else in town is crap). I'm hoping to squeeze in a trip back to Ponca to see MaryAnne and let the kids play and swim. I am working around Gavin's schedule, as usual. Hard to do anything when he has something on Sun, Mon, Wed, and Fri! However, all of this will now hinge on when( or not ) tile people decide come to tile my bathrooms. So, I can't really plan anything.

Going now to finish bills and such. Hoping the summer feels like the summer at summ point.

w4mw: Summer Recipe Edition

Chicken Salad (with a summer twist)

INGREDIENTS

1 1/2 pounds boneless chicken breast halves (me? I buy a rotisserie chicken from the store and use that! No cooking req.=cool kitchen)
1 (8 ounce) can mandarin oranges, drained
1 (8 ounce) can pineapple chunks, drained and cut in half
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 cup light mayonnaise
2 teaspoons dried dill weed
2 teaspoons white sugar


DIRECTIONS

In a large mixing bowl, combine the chicken, oranges, pineapple and pecans.
Whisk together the mayonnaise, dill weed and sugar. Add to the chicken mixture, toss well and refrigerate over night so flavors may blend.

For more recipes visit Kristen at We Are THAT Family!

http://wearethatfamily.com

[Posted with iBlogger from my iPod touch]

Hula Hoopin to Shout!

Oh my! An Extremely Random Post

So today, I was doing some cleaning up of the blog layout and I see that a comment needs moderated. This only happens if it's on an older post. Well, low and behold. It's totally made my day. My garage door is on a Garage Door company's blog in Atlanta, GA. I am totally flattered ya'll. That's like the BEST post I have ever done. Perhaps I should start faux-ing more often!

This past week was SO stinkin hot here, that I had NO desire to put this HOT laptop on my lap to blog. We were still recovering from the pageant, and during this hottest week seemingly evah in Oklahellma- our AC broke. I mean, come on. When will the luck change? Tuesday night it was almost 90 degrees in here. You try sleeping in a 90' house and see if your chipper enough to blog. Plus, I had to pay like $200 bucks, I would have much rather spent on something else!

THEN, this past weekend was the annual Tri-Delta reunion over in Stillwater. It's so fun to get to go hang with college friends. Unfortunately, it also reminds you how old people are. *Ahem* Not me, of course. But OTHER people. And, it was 108 degrees out. Today's 98' seemed downright chilly.

Ok, then also- Ed, Farrah, Michael, and Billy all died! Wth? Almost more than I can take. I don't like people being all mean about Michael either. He was a music legend, a video pioneer- I mean, just remember his life before all the fame weirded him out. Please? Because when I think of him, I think of the Thriller album cover and not the missing nose and surgical mask. You can choose to do that like me too, right? Yes, I know you can. Ed and Farrah weren't so much of a shock as Michael and Billy, but sad nonetheless. I'm almost positive that Billy Mays will have died from the head injury the day before at the bad landing of his flight. Just like Natasha. This should make you all aware- if you hit your head, go get it checked out ASAP. No matter what!

Alright. Hope you enjoyed the 'Ketchup' post, as MckMama calls it. Seeing as how I am now watching sportscenter and I am the only one up- I am going to change the channel and relax. Feel free to comment with your favorite Michael Jackson song, and Billy Mays product if you like.

The Weekend

With her winnings....
Her "Queen" shelf, as she calls it.

Casual attire.

The froo-froo dress.

Talent costume.

So, as promised- here is a re-cap of our weekend, and Grayce's trip to the State Diamond Miss pageant.

First, I don't think I'm cut out for this. I mean I have been sick at my stomach since last Thursday. Wasn't able to eat all weekend, and still can't without getting a little or a lot sick. I may need anxiety meds to continue on....Grayce wasn't nervous at all. Just me.

The pageant took what seemed like forever to get done with- as we had stuff spread out from 4pm Friday to 8:30am Sunday. And I DO NOT like Chickasha, OK. Or the stinky Best Western there. Yuck. Grayce performed wonderfully. This pageant is not like what you think of when you think Miss America (winner wise), or what you think of little girl pageants. Diamond Miss focuses heavily on Talent, Modeling, and Interview. It's more of preparedness for Miss America. Since girls that are 3 are essentially competing against girls that are 18 for the over all titles, it's unlikely that your 5 is going to win the whole pageant. So, State winners in Talent and Modeling within the age groups are the sought after crowns for the younger ones. Grayce was 1st runner up in talent and 4th runner up in modeling. Her scores were very good, quite a few perfect- so I am not sure what the other girls had.

Her talent was a wonderful fiasco- which didn't even make her flinch. 434 times we'd practiced it and not once did the hula hoop get caught on her glove or her hair. But it did Saturday! The first time she must have spent a whole minute trying to get unstuck and the emcee had to help her- but she went on and finished it out. The judges asked if she wanted to go again- and I ran back stage where she told me she didn't want to with the gloves on. I told her we'd just take them off. So, she was fine to go again after the next person finished. Her routine is almost 3 minutes of non-stop motion, by the way. She went out to go again- and it caught in her hair- only momentarily this time- but when she went to throw it off, the timing was just right going into her cartwheel that her foot launched it almost off stage! Kinda of like it was supposed too! Oh my! She didn't even worry about it, just went on smiling and dancing. We got it back on the stage for her by the time she used it again. I will have video soon of it which I will upload as soon as I can. (you had to buy the DVD's, no filming allowed of course! Argh) Later Sunday at the awards breakfast, she won the Silva award for her unwavering, excellent performance- because everyone was sure no one else would have had the guts to go on. The director said even a big girl surely would have burst into tears and ran off stage. This award won her $225 towards entry fees to Nationals. Great.

So, because she didn't get crowned, only 2 big trophies, a melt down came on quickly. And she was MAD. Really, really mad. First, she was never going on stage again. But now, she is going again, because she is going to win, by golly. I'm gonna need a fundraiser for that, ya'll. Even with her winnings, this is going to cost out the wazoo. Nationals is spread out over 6 days. We will have to stay in stinky Chickasha for 5 nights. The cost of that alone is over $300. She has to have a new dress, and other new outfits and the other entry fees (like $300 more!). Aye yi yi. I twittered yesterday about fundraising ideas- and I wasn't kidding. Any ideas?

Here We Go

Miss Froo- Froo and the fam are headed out tomorrow for the BIG pageant. Hopefully she remembers the dance. I am sick with anxiety. Why? She isn't. Anyhow, I will check in when I can with how its going.

Will be back Sunday night!

Busy, busy

Well, I've been MIA for a few more days due to the deep clean of 2009. It took me 11 hours to clean out, move a dresser, and touch-up paint Gavin's room. And, I also put up some Uppercase Living art I've had for over a year! Then today I spent 5 hours cleaning out Grayce's room. We have also had 4 baseball games in 5 days, and I am more than exhausted. I am so tired I can't really sleep. And sore. VERY sore.

This one above is a growth chart, so to speak....and its on the wall by the laundry room. It looks really cool there on the blank wall, I think.

This one is to remind certain children what needs to happen when visiting the bathroom. It's on the mirror.

Oh. Look. It only took 11 hours.

Here is the wall art- but on Grayce's dresser. Love how it turned out!

This is the one on Gavin's wall. Really like it also.

So now, I am taking a cleaning break for the rest of the week. Thanks to the hubs for doing laundry, ironing curtains, and emptying dishwasher while I was slaving away in the bedrooms. This FRIDAY we leave for the State Diamond Miss pageant. I feel I maybe resembling a Toddler's and Tiara's mom as of late with the practicing. BUT, all I really have to say is do you want to win or not? And she replies, yes. A big crown and a sashy thing. After that, she goes back to practicing without a word. She is positively giddy it's in 4 days. While, I, on the other hand, would like to throw up.

I am hoping to post some preview pics and maybe video tomorrow!