$50 GC

OMG I got a message the other day that I had won a $50 GC at Lifetime Moments for being one of the over-all winners in the Summer Scrapfest this summer. I was SO excited!! Worked on my order last night & this morning.....will have to post pics & share all the cool goodies I picked when my box arrives. Thanks to Jackie for always having such awesome cybercrops!!

Crashed

Got a text from Ashley about 7:50am this morning telling me I could come on & get them....that folks were starting to leave already. So, I hustled Michael & Alli out of bed & we headed to church to pick them up. From all the silly giggly chatter all the way home, I gather they had a pretty good time last night. Here's some of what went on......Our Last Oath played for about an hour (like from midnight til 1am, I think), lots of Pizza Hut pizza, snacks, Guitar Hero, frisbee dodge ball, duct taping people to the walls, dying Christian's hair yellow & shaving his legs because of the number of visitors that were brought......Jon has video for us to watch later & Ashley has pictures....hoepfully I can snitch a few for a scrapbook page. ;-) They are off upstairs snoozing away for the time being. Gorgeous, gorgeous fall day today.....just perfect! Michael & Alli are outside playing & I've got laundry hung out on the line. Going to fold a few more baskets of clothes & then I think I might just try & scrap some this afternoon. Or.....I just might be lured outside to read for a while under my tree.

All-Nighter

For a week now, Ashley & Jon have been SO excited about the youth all-nighter at church tonight. Clay had been needing to do a few repairs on his little blue car & get it inspected so we would have two vehicles for this little shindig. So he could go to work Sat. & I'd have the van so I could go pick them up. Anyway, he got new tires put on & it was all good to go & last night we were going to drop it off down at Jack's so they could inspect it first thing this morning. Well, we didn't make it as far as Buddy & Ena's house when Clay's car just konked on him. He couldn't get it started or anything. Tried letting it roll back & kicking it into gear, but nothing worked. So, he rolled it to the side of the road & we went to get Mason's help. He towed the car back up the drive for us & we proceeded to try & figure out what we could do to remedy the situation.....because Clay was bound & determined that the kids were gonna get to go tonight because he knew how excited they were about it. Anyway......when Alli & I left for town this morning we had several different options swirling around....plus he & Jon were going to take the car over to Mason's & see if they couldn't go over it & figure out the problem. I just simply prayed for a miracle...........whichever way it worked would be fine, I just really knew that this NEEDED to work out for the kid's sake. Fast forward to about 2:30pm this afternoon & Clay called me on my cell at Walmart to tell me it was done! They had figured out it was some coil & they were able to replace it with one off the old green Ford truck that he had bought for parts. He says it runs as good as new now. Inspected & good to go for another year! How awesome is that?! God is so good.....love the little every day miracles!! Alli & I dropped them off at 7pm & will pick them up in the morning. They have gone armed with Ashley's camera, our camcorder & my cell phone.....so they can call Chris tonight (IF they get bored...LOL) More like wanting to keep him up with all that's going on. I love it!

Another Fun Day

The girls & I headed out this morning & picked Chris up after convo & then we met Maw, Vada, Johnny, Sarah & the kids at Chickfila for some lunch. After lunch we dropped Chris back off for his next class & then took everyone else up to see the new snowflex. I think Daniel enjoyed it most of all. He sat outside on a bench with Ashley & watched the guys snowboarding for a good while......while all the rest of us looked around in the lodge. He said he was gonna do that one day.....when he was bigger. ;-) After the snowflex....we poked around in the LU/Barnes & Noble bookstore for a bit & then decided we NEEDED to go to Starbucks for coffee. Had to get a group picture while there because this was our first time ever going to SB.....can you believe that?! It was really good....Ashley & I both got a White Chocolate Mocha & Alley had an iced coffee. They both agreed that this was an excellent place to come for special treats. From here.....we said our good-byes & we ran to the mall for a bit. Ashley needed to find a BD present for her friend, Logan. She & Alli both found some cute necklaces in Wet Seal that were on sale.....buy one get one for a penny. So, for $3.99 they each got two necklaces. Ashley also got two cute little Tshirts for $12......one was so cute with a giraffe & a turtle that said 'I'm not short, I'm fun-sized'. On home to fix some home-made pizzas for supper & then our evening walk. As Ashley & I were headed down the drive, we saw Leslie coming our way & we all walked together to the creek & back. It was so nice getting to visit with her for a bit. Now, I think I'm ready to kick back & chill for the rest of the evening. Will go watch 'Stories' with Ashley & Jon here soon......that's what we call it when we watch NCIS.....'Our Stories'.....then up to read my newest Karen Kingsbury book that I picked up at the library this morning.....'Remember'.

Peter Peppers

Look what we grew......I'd never heard of them or seen them before in my life, but Clay bought a few plants & told me he was going to grow some Peter Peppers. He told me they were so named because of how they looked.....but I had NO idea until he brought these in to show me yesterday. Of course the boys think they are absolutely hilarious & the girls say there is no way in this wide world that they will ever eat these things!! LOL Below is the story I found online & thought I'd share.....our 'First Day of School' lesson for this fall. ;-)

It is a curious little pepper, the Peter Pepper. Some say it's sexy. Some say it's hot. Others say it is delicious. No matter who you are, you will agree it is an unusual Cajun pepper. One that makes every cooking and gift giving occasion an interesting experience.


The Story of the Peter Pepper
The fiery little Peter Pepper has long been considered too hot to eat! Native to Louisiana and Texas, this blistering capsicum forms pods which naturally and consistently contort themselves into a miniature replica of, well - take a look at its scientific name: Capsicum annuum var. annuum 'Peter' (Penis Pepper).

These interesting peppers are certainly a conversation piece for the gardener who has everything! Seeds are almost impossible to obtain, and most plants are grown from much coveted "private stock" - plants grown year after year for seeds alone.

Actually, the word pepper can be confusing here. The familiar black or white pepper is a product of Piper nigrum and that is an entirely different plant! Peter Peppers belong to the genus Capsicum. The name Capsicum comes from the Greek kapto, to bite, an allusion to the hot, biting taste of the fruits. Some capsicums are sweet, some are hot, others are mild, and they all have unique shapes and culinary uses. Famous cousins of the Peter Pepper include the tabasco pepper and the jalapeno. However, Peter Peppers are hotter than the tabasco and at least 10 times hotter than the jalapeno.

Family Reunion

Awesome reunion day......the weather was just perfect & the best treat of all...........meeting Sandee & her mom, Norma.
More pics & details of the day later...

Tribute to Our Heroes Crop

Cookin’ Up Creations - Tribute to Our Heroes Crop

When Friday, September 11 – Sunday, September 13, 2009
Beginning @ 6:00 pm EST on Friday and Ending @ 9:00 EST Sunday

Starting tonight we’re going to have our "Tribute to the Military, the Fallen Heroes of War and 9/11" Cyber Crop. The crop will be hosted by our current Design Team, and will include such activities as challenges, games, prizes, socializing, and lots & lots of fun! The cyber crop is sponsored by Creating Military Memories, who has generously donated tons of their products for this event! So grab your apron and start cookin’ up your scrapbooking creations with us! Bon Appetite!!

Cookin' Up Creations

Creating Military Memories

Wile E. Coyote

Over the past week or so we have noticed that some of our outdoor cats had started to disappear.....without a trace too.....really strange. We had been letting Bunny & Charlie sleep in at night & Sat. night Bunny was in the living room snoozing with us while we watched TV, but then he wanted out. The last we saw of him, he was sleeping on the front porch. We looked ALL around yesterday....down around the barn, the pond, the old sawmill. Clay & the boys put up their trail cam last night & this is what we caught on film around 4-something this morning. We actually think it's TWO coyotes.....the top frame coming up the drive & then there was a blank frame in between & then the bottom pic. Clay went out to the Dollar General today & bought a litter box & some litter so Charlie can totally stay in now until we can do something about these guys. They've got the cam back out there again tonight & they'll see if he shows up again around the same time & then decide what to do next.

Cosmo Cricket

This month's sponsor over at Cookin' Up Creations is Cosmo Cricket....one of my favorite lines!! I was so excited when Tammy told me we'd be working with Cosmo this month. I received the Early Bird kit & it's just so doggone cute & so versatile!! Below are some of the creations I've made so far. Come on over to CUC & check out what our other design team ladies are 'cooking up' this month. http://www.cookinupcreations.com/I had several birthdays this month that I needed to make cards for & these papers were just perfect for some fun girly-looking cards.

Just a fun LO of the kids playing in the pool one night. I love the little cut-out journaling cards which I used here for the title & journaling. I also cut out lots of cute little flower embellies to decorate my page with.

Was chatting with Maw one day when Jon came in bringing me this pretty boquet of wildflowers. Maw said they were in honor of Pop's birthday....August 25, 2009. I made little chipboard embellies (photo corner & flower accent) by covering cardboard with the patterned paper, sanding the edges & adding a little button & some string. Voila.....cute little embellie that co-ordinates with my LO. Also added a few little butterfly punchies to finish off the page.

'Grandpa Bunner....in his element.....always painting. That's what I remember most about him.'

These were just two random pics that I had....but put together they really tell the story about WHO Grandpa Bunner was......an artist. This is where Papaw gets his talent from & it's also been passed along to my kids too!

NCIS

Clay got hooked on this show first & then started getting back episodes on Netflix. Next thing I realize, Ashley & Jon are hooked & are watching each evening with Clay. Then Michael started watching & one day this past week he twisted my arm & begged me to sit down with him & watch the very first episode......well, that's all it took......it sucked me in too. LOL

Thursday

T- Two baskets of laundry folded today.

H- Happy Birthday cards mailed to Granny.

U- Uprooted weeds around the patio.

R- Read 'Hannah's Hope' For a little while this afternoon while....

S-.....Sitting out under the Dogwood tree enjoying this awesome weather.

D- Double batch of peanut butter cookies made....half for us & half for Chris & his room-mates.

A- After-supper walk with Ashley & Jon.

Y- Yawn....now I'm tired.

Picture Day at Maw's

Today Ashley & I headed to Maw's house to help her sort through pictures & put together some photo collages for the family reunion coming up in a little over a week. We had planned to do this about 3 weeks ago & then Sarah ended up getting pneumonia & we postponed it. So.... just now getting around to it. But we accomplished what we set out to do today....after lots of visiting & remembering as we looked through tons of pictures....we ended up with two big photo collages of past reunions & relatives. Hope everyone has as much fun looking at them as we did putting them together!!Maw had told us about this little Bambi deer that had been living in her neighbor, Ginger's backyard. Something happened to the mother & this little guy has just been living in her jungle of a back yard. It's totally NOT scared of people or dogs or anything. So cute!!
After leaving Maw's house this afternoon....Ashley & I decided to drive up to the new Liberty University Snowflex & just look around.

This is a little too scarey for my taste!! See that black dot just over the crest of the hill....that's a guy & the middle of a sumersault! No way....Not me!!! That was the ski slope...over to the right there is the snowboard slope. We watched a guy come down & wipe out in the gravel over there on the far right. Again....NOPE, not for me!!

The inside of the lodge is awesome.....the smell of fresh new wood....Mmmmm.....smells terrific! And all the 'critter's on the walls......Jon has GOT to go check this out....he'd love it. Just to the left of this frame is a huge bear standing full height.....very cool!

And the view out front is amazing! I wanted to get a picture of the Peaks of Otter off in the distance, but the sun was directly in our faces so it didn't turn out. Ashley is looking down on the practice slope.....there was a guy out there teaching another guy how to snowboard. I think I might could handle THIS slope.......LOL!