2009

IT'S HERE! 2009 came in such a hurry! Funny how you think about the past years and how slow it seemed to go when you were younger. Now that we're getting older (yes, I said the O word) the years are just flying by! Now I know what my parents meant when they said time was going soooo fast! We had such a wonderful Christmas. I will update all of that when I get my pictures uploaded to my computer. I am so bummed that I missed out on posting the first 2009 post on the 1st. Oh well, I guess the 2nd will just have to do! We spent our New Year's Eve at a friend's home. We had about 20 adults there. It turned into playing the Wii all night. My arms are still hurting today from all of that! It was so much fun! We rang in the new year with a nice friendly party and then took our time getting up on New Year's Day (except for Jeff...Mr Early Bird!). The kids and I cleaned the house, Jeff and I had hair appointments and we finished the day by going over to our friend, Linda's, for about an hour. So calm & no rushing...I LOVE IT!! Today I get off at noon from work and will be going home to do more picking up (Christmas things). Hoping to get things put up in the attic tomorrow (Saturday). We'll work hard to make that happen. Have been enjoying my time with Caleb. He's such a calm kid. He was telling me how nice it was to be home and have nothing to do. He stayed in his PJ's all day and really enjoyed not doing anything! I think sometimes that I am a very boring mother but, after you get that from a child, it makes you feel a little better! It's so hard to work all day & then feel motivated when you get home to cook a huge meal, take kids to games, clean the house, clean the kitchen, take a bath & whatever else may come along! WHEW, that got me exhausted just typing it! No, I do enjoy down time but, it is very hard to be motivated 100% of the day after stressful day of work! Well, it's time for me to get home! Hope all had a wonderful Christmas and hope all have the Hapiest New Year Ever!!!

Another week down in the books of history!

We have really had a great week! Sunday we went to church, ate lunch with friends and I took of to get kids from their dad. When we woke up Monday morning, we were iced in. Needless to say, the ice storm of December 2008 was a chilling reminder of the ice storm of 2007. It made me thankful to have electricity, heat & good food. Those ten days last year were miserable! Don't want to repeat that anytime soon. We were stuck in the house for 3 days. Obviously, I stayed home with the kids all 3 days. With them out of school and no family around I get to take a "mini-vacation" if you can call it that! I got to listen to "I'm bored" just about all day! Oh well, we actually enjoyed having that time. Wednesday was my first time out of the house since Sunday. I attempted to drive to church. Surprising to me was the roads & my driveway was completely clear of any ice remnants. I was soooo excited! That meant I could go to work and talk to big people!!! Thursday found us going (after work) to the oldest grandchild's first Christmas program. He did not want to participate in that. He cried and cried...poor guy! When they did get him up for his turn, all you could see was hands covering his face the whole time. Again, crying the entire time. He's so cute!! I got some great pics of the hands. Couldn't resist. We went out to eat at Steak 'n Shake after the program. I wish they wouldn't have closed where we live!! I really like their food. Friday - TODAY - we are going to attend Andrew's make up basketball game tonight. After the ice cancelling school, that also means all activities are cancelled. It's going to be fun! His dad & his Poppy are coming up to see him play. They will also be able to see him play tomorrow in a game. The team won 1st place last weekend at a tournament. He was so excited yesterday to call me and tell me that he got a 1st place trophy from that tournament! It's all about the trophies right now!! Saturday - as mentioned before....run-run-run with basketball games, finalizing Christmas plans, menus, cleaning & enjoying the hubby! I can't wait! It will be just the two of us for about two weeks. We actually need this down time! It's been stressful the past few weeks. Always seems to hit about the holiday time with us. Don't know what it is but, we always make it through! THANK GOD!! Hope all are having a wonderful and blessed Christmas season! Enjoy your family and God's love! Blessings, Tamara

Weekend Tales

Well, I designated Thursday of last week to be the night we got all of my fall decorations up into the attic & pull all of my Christmas decorations down to start the "official" decorating for Christmas. Between basketball practice, picking up pizza and a few other tiny things that popped up, we didn't get things decorated BUT we did get all of the fall decor up in the attic and the Christmas things down. They crowded our garage area for several days. (I guess they still are a little) Friday was spent doing running around in Tulsa and preparing for the second game of the basketball tournament. What fun it is to see those boys play. They lost again. Saturday was the 3rd game. This was a different story. They did lose but, WOW did they ever play!! They tended to learn that if they were going to accomplish a victory, they had to get a little more aggressive with that basketball. They did fabulous! Can't wait to see them grow even more.

After the game, we went to the High School for the choir's Annual Boar's Head Feast. That was so much fun! We got to enjoy the choirs performances, a great steak dinner, and a fun time with the "King, Queen and Court", with Jesters and guards and an executioner. They really put on a great show! In the rush of it all, I was the bad mom and forgot the camera to be able to take pictures. I pulled out my iPhone and took a few. They're not the best but, I guess it's the memory that counts huh?? Hannah was at the school all day long and on into the evening. They did two performances so, I didn't want to decorate without her. Wouldn't be fair. She was so excited about decorating! Soooo, I took this time to do a little cleaning and catch up on DVR shows. What a great invention!

I also spent some of my day looking for a crew to put lights on my home!! WOO HOO! I was so excited when my hubby told me that I could put lights up but, I had to find someone to do it & take care of it. He really has no business up on the roof himself so, I was very glad to hear that! I contacted a couple of places. I figured it was too late! Me & my last minute ways!! BUT, I found a company (actually wound up being a friend of mine) that would do it on Sunday....YES, the next day!! YES!!!! I was so excited. I have never had lights on my home growing up! This was just as exciting to me as it was to the kids! ha-ha

Sunday morning we woke up and went to my step-son's church. They had a sanctuary dedication and then fed us steaks from Joseph's afterwards. We came home so full! It was such a beautiful remodel! While we were there we got to play with the grandchildren, OF COURSE! Again, in the hustle and bustle of getting my house together, I ran off without the camera. I used my phone again to get a few cute pics of the grandbaby. Forgot to get pics of the other grandchild! My kids had her occupied so, there was no time to stop and pose. He's gonna so love this when he gets older! Just could not resist taking this cute picture. He is the best baby! This is his "I'm hungry" look! What an angel! We enjoyed him so much! As you can see by the picture above, he knows when the camera comes up to smile! What a smart one! He's been trained very well!

OK, so, I am going to attempt to take house pics tonight with the lights on. We'll see how it goes! Hope they turn out good! If not, you can at least see my yard ornaments that I got this year. Hope all have a blessed week!

The Snowball Effect

We are half way done with the week and still do not have any of my Christmas put up (there's another friend of mine that said the same on her blog!!)! It's not that I don't want to, it's that there are so many things going on that I can hardly find a night at home to do it! That's what happens to me when I go out of town for Thanksgiving. This Thanksgiving fell at such an awkward time with Monday being the 1st. It didn't give much of an opportunity after Thanksgiving to get things moving! Looks like I have to wait until Thursday to start. First I have to get all of my harvest things up in the attic.....YUCK!! Don't look forward to that!

Drew's first basketball game was last night. He sure enjoyed it. Unfortunately they lost 14-12 but, wow did those boys play a great game! I was actually impressed! I didn't think much would come of the points in this grade but, they sure held their own! It was such an exciting game! Forgot how much I like basketball! Especially at this age! Hannah thinks she wants to play basketball next year. We'll see. She doesn't strike me as the athletic type but, she may surprise me!

Monday night was a wonderful time with our Ladie's from church for our Annual Christmas Party. It was such good food and good fellowship! I enjoyed every moment I could! Last night was the ballgame, of course, and tonight is church. Another busy schedule!!! IMAGINE THAT! Like I stated earlier, I am hoping that Thursday we can get the decorations put out in the yard & in the house! Would be nice to sit back & enjoy that knowing the hectic schedule we have the rest of the week, weekend & weeks to come! Christmas just rolls on like a huge snowball!!

Hope all have a great time during these holidays!! Hope to see most of you!! Love ya!

WELCOME DECEMBER!!!!!

Bring on Christmas!!! It is officially December & we are winding down the end of our 2008 year. WOW have we come along way "baby"! Jeff and I and the kids just got back from Mississippi on Friday. We had a fabulous time with my family. We also took along my mother-in-law. I believe she enjoyed it. My mamaw wants to make sure she comes back again with us. They spoke a lot about how sweet she was! We came home a day or two early so we could get together with friends and watch the OU/OSU Bedlam game. That all came crumbling down. It's probably a good thing. While we were in Mississippi, a lot of people had the stomach flu/bug...whatever you want to call it. It hit me Saturday late afternoon! I couldn't fight it! I was really miserable. To the point where even Sunday, I still felt kind of blah. I hope the rest of my household doesn't get it. Anyway, I sat on the couch (in and out of sleep) watching the game all by myself! Jeff cooped up in the bedroom & watched the game, Hannah went to a friend's house to stay the night & the boys, well let's just say they entertained themselves for a long, long time with video games & bakugan battles!! Yeah! When I got home, I realized that I didn't take hardly any pics while I was there. Where was my head?? I have slowed down in my old age...ha-ha! Anyway, not much to show by way of pics but, I can put one up of my cute little nephew! He's a spit-fire! He's so cute though! Yesterday was our typical Sunday. Go to church, chill out at home for the afternoon & go back to church that evening. We spent another Sunday evening at McDonald's!!!!!!!! I sure enjoy watching the two sets of twins that go & play. They are so funny!! Well, Happy December! Get your shopping done early so you can fly through the month!

November

WOW! November is almost half over and I haven't put up a post in my blog since October!! That's terrible! Not much exciting happening in my life, I guess. We spent Halloween night at the church. Hannah decided to go with her friends to the football game so, Andrew and I went to the church for the fall festival. I sure enjoyed it there. No fighting crowds on the streets, no cars to run in front of, no scary doors to look at....just good, clean fun & friends to fellowship with. I wound up sitting the entire night....just about!! The only time I got up was to do a couple of cake walks, take a few pics and talk to a few friends I hadn't seen in a long long time. Other than that, a group of us sat at a table & talked! I LOVED IT!! Football is over for us! The 6th grade boys played their last game on October 4. They had an undefeated season & went straight into the play offs. The play offs were a single elimination. They lost on that Tuesday and were done for the season. It was so sad. The boys were all in a huddle at the endzone crying their eyes out. They worked so hard this season!! WAY TO GO 6th GRADE CARDINALS BLACK!! My dad is flying in today so, we will enjoy him being here for a week. The kids are ready to see their Papaw. He has been living in Florida since this summer. The kids were so bummed when he left! Time to spend quality time together & make up for the time lost. He'll be ready to leave by the end of the weeek!!! Trust me!! I have been redecorating my house. It was so outdated & needed a LOT of new things. I am so pleased with the results so far. My friend that's an interior designer has been assisting me with this!! She is so special to me! Hopefully it will be done before long. I don't think we have much more to do. It looks so good!! I'll have to take some pics & post it on here. I guess that's all I need to write right now. I will break for lunch & see what else my day holds for me!! God Bless!!

Carrie Underwood Concert

Jeff and I went to the Little Big Town/Carrie Underwood concert last night. It was great! I tried to get good pics but, my camera was just not focusing for some reason. I got great ones at Rascal Flatts concert but, nothing worth sharing on this one. I am bummed out! Maybe our friends that went got some so I can at least say I was there during this! Oh well! Don't sweat the small stuff right? Tonight is going to be an evening of staying home and making cookies & decorating them. The kids are so excited! I bought Fall/Halloween cookie cutters & we are just going to go CRAZY!! Yipee...not looking forward to the mess but, they'll be happy so I guess it doesn't matter! Hope everyone is fabulous!

Cheer Weekend & birthday

We enjoyed a busy weekend with cheering & celebrating Caleb's birthday. Friday I found myself getting Caleb & shopping for his birthday present. He wanted a new DS Lite and he got that along with guitar hero & another air soft gun. He and a buddy of his are into the air soft gun thing. Not my favorite past time but, he enjoys it & it doesn't hurt as bad as paintball.

Saturday found us running around. We started our day by my wonderful husband getting up and bringing us donuts home. How sweet!! He thought of us! Then we went to his company's picnic at "The Lodge". His company's owner owns the most gorgeous place near the Arkansas border. We enjoyed our time there (limited) and drove over to a weigh-in at a fishing tournament that Jeff paid for. He didn't get to fish but, obviously wanted to be there for the weigh-in and prizes!! Later that evening we had a football game to go to. This was also the coronation ceremony.

This is Hannah's boyfriend. They were "going

out" at the beginning of the year but, then he broke up with her. After a few weeks, he asked her out again. What a trip!! This Jr. High stuff is so funny! Brings back memories!

On Sunday we all got up and went to church and ate lunch at IHOP. That's where Caleb wanted to go for his birthday. We all went different directions from there: Jeff golfed, Hannah went to TU for the game (she got to cheer with the TU cheerleaders at halftime) & the boys and I went home until it was time for Caleb to go.

Whew! It's over. Last night (needless to say) I didn't do much of anything. It's always pizza night on Mondays so, I didn't even have to cook. I started a liquid cleanse today so, I put something in the crock pot for the rest of the household. I won't be able to participate....SAD!! Hope all is well with all my family and friends!

Whirlwind Weekend & Week To Come

WOW! Another several days have blown by and I can barely remember what has been done! I have been redecorating the house. It is severely in need of updating. It has been so enjoyable to see new things in my home. It sure makes you develop a sense of pride for your home. We had quite a busy weekend. Friday & Saturday was youth convention and Hannah and a friend went on Friday night. They went out afterwards & didn't get home until about 1AM after having fun at Incredible Pizza. They were so tired, they were not even interested in getting up the next morning for another day! They slept in & enjoyed a somewhat lazy day at home. Hannah was invited to be a part of the Miss Route 66 pageant on Saturday evening. She was interviewed on stage about the Miss Oklahoma 2008 pageant that she was a part of and then she got to sing. She wanted to sing "Open the Eyes of my Heart". She was soooo nervous but, she did fabulous! This was her first time to sing in public (besides at church). She had a lady approach her afterwards with tears in her eyes saying how that touched her heart & it was her favorite song. That meant a lot to all of us! GOOD JOB HANNAH!!!

On Sunday we did the church thing while Jeff golfed & enjoyed a LOUD evening at McDonald's in the Play Place area with several friends & their children from church. That was a LOT of fun....a little LOUD but a LOT of fun!!

Once the week started, it was work & our usual night running around. I don't think I get a night at home until Thursday this week & then Friday & Saturday are more running around!!! Does it ever end??? It doesn't seem like it for me!

I hope all are doing well! Drop me a line sometime.

It's been a while!

WOW!! It has been forever since I have put anything on my blog. I need to get back in this habit. Was doing so well & then schedules collapsed in on me!

Still cheering on the weekends with Hannah (when she's here). We were at Stillwater last week!! What a time! OSU Football traffic and construction...can't beat that! We also went to the fair last Friday. We had so much fun. My kids love to go and eat all the food they want. They want to ride the rides so bad but, it really makes me so nervous! I don't trust those rides that go up and down all the time! I know that's probably an overprotective mother coming out in me but, I don't care!! I would rather them ride something at a stationary huge park than something that is torn down every few days!!

We got the opportunity to take the kids to see Taylor Swift and Rascal Flatts at the new BOK Center. They had so much fun! We had FABULOUS seats!! That BOK center is so nice! Not a great picture but, it gives you an idea. I've got better ones to upload from my camera.

It was so nice to have Jeff back home. Feels like he is gone ALL the time!! I am getting really tired of all the traveling. He's here for a while, as far as I know, so I am content for now.

Hope all is well. Have a great week & weekend!! GO OU!!!!!!