Pink Elephants on Parade

"Seeing pink elephants" is often used to describe a drunken hallucination or delirium. 

OK so it's a purpley pink elephant.... but it's still an elephant and it was in my yard yesterday. I am thinking having to return to work after the holidays may have pushed me over the edge?

It's Over?

It's over?

Already?

I had 5 days off!   What happened to them?

Right now I have bags under my eyes the size of Texas.

I am going to actually post a real blog post, with real pictures.... from a real good time of course.

But right now I can't think....

Plus I forgot the pics at home on my flash drive.

Let the Festive Fun Begin!

I so need to work on my blog decor. I know. TIME.... I just need TIME! Maybe next week when I am off work, I can get it done. 

This weekend we will have our first "Christmas" and a few more holidayish type activities!  I hope I can snag some pictures....

Last weekend I made sugar cookies....I must say, best darn recipe ever!!

Sugar Cookies





1 c sugar
2 tsp baking powder
3 c all-purpose flour
2 sticks salted butter
1 egg
1 tsp pure orange extract
1/2 tsp pure peppermint extract






Preheat oven to 350.






Combine the flour and baking powder, set aside. Cream the sugar and butter. Add the egg and extracts and mix. Gradually add  flour mixture and beat just until combined, scraping down the bowl, especially the bottom.


The dough will be crumbly, so knead it together with your hands as you scoop it out of the bowl for roll.


Roll onto a floured surface and cut into shapes. Place on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10-12 minutes


YUM!
 
 

Party in the Potty

Working outside of the home, it's bound to happen.  You just can't hold it any longer.... you must use the public restroom from time to time.  It is a must.  Thankfully, our office shares a restroom with only one other office... and well any people that come in off the street.... but we won't think about that.

I think there should be friendly rules posted on the door, we are sharing, let's be polite!

Please - turn your cell phone off. 

 It is bad enough that I have to use the restroom with you right there.... but do you have to allow your friends to listen also?  Plus, dear long haired brunette, I really don't want to hear about the drama in your life.... I mean really, little perky blond, do you think that your boss doesn't realize you are gone 15 minutes while you catch up on gossip?

Please put your make up on in the morning before you leave for work. 

 I am sorry, but I do prefer to wash my hands when I am done AND well you act like it is a sin that I have to have you move out of the way so I can get to the sink. Plus you leave your gunk behind on the sink and counter, then it gets on my clothing.

Please no Perfume or Hair Spray

Seriously, unless you have done the deed and dropped the Browns off at the super bowl, there is NO need to spray anything in the bathroom! Not everyone enjoys the scent "Hookers n Hoes".

Please wash before touching your face

I cannot begin to tell you how many people I've seen fixing their hair or touching up their makeup before hand washing. Your potty germs are getting all over your face.

Please Flush

Seriously, Please flush your own stuff down the toilet, don't forget to also take care of your own mess if you happen to sprinkle on the seat. SIGH

Thanks!

'Twas the night before Christmas

I received this is an email and thought I would share....

'Twas the night before Christmas & out on the ranch

The pond was froze over & so was the branch.

The snow was piled up belly-deep to a mule.

The kids were all home on vacation from school,

And happier young folks you never did see-

Just all sprawled around a-watchin' TV.

Then suddenly, some time around 8 o'clock,

There came a surprise that gave them a shock!

The power went off, the TV went dead!

When Grandpa came in from out in the shed

With an armload of wood, the house was all dark.

"Just what I expected," they heard him remark.

"Them power line wires must be down from the snow.

Seems sorter like times on the ranch long ago."

"I'll hunt up some candles," said Mom. "With their light,

And the fireplace, I reckon we'll make out all right."

The teen-agers all seemed enveloped in gloom.

Then Grandpa came back from a trip to his room,

Uncased his old fiddle & started to play

That old Christmas song about bells on a sleigh.

Mom started to sing, & 1st thing they knew

Both Pop & the kids were all singing it, too.

They sang Christmas carols, they sang "Holy Night,"

Their eyes all a-shine in the ruddy firelight.

They played some charades Mom recalled from her youth,

And Pop read a passage from God's Book of Truth.

They stayed up till midnight-and, would you believe,

The youngsters agreed 'twas a fine Christmas Eve.

Grandpa rose early, some time before dawn;

And when the kids wakened, the power was on..

"The power company sure got the line repaired quick,"

Said Grandpa - & no one suspected his trick.

Last night, for the sake of some old-fashioned fun,

He had pulled the main switch - the old Son-of-a-Gun!

Brrrrrr

OK, it is finally starting to feel like the season here in Oklahoma. I know there was worse weather that what Oklahoma had... but it was chilly enough to stay inside for most of the weekend.  I think this was the first weekend in along time that there were absolutely no plans.

Kobi and her friend made Christmas sweatshirts....

I spent alot of time in the kitchen making cookies.... lots and lots of cookies.

New recipe and first time to actually decorate sugar cookies. LOL Need I say more?

NO WAY JOSE !!!!!

I can’t believe it! I think we have a weekend WITH NO PLANS! Now that will just not work for me. SO, I have come up with some exciting little “projects”. I am thinking my daughter and I are going to make “ugly christmas” sweatshirts for her and her friend. I am also thinking about a couple of dressers and cabinets that really need to be cleaned and organized. OH and COOKIES…. Lots and lots of Christmas cookies! I am going to attempt to make some pretty ones with royal icing.

Now if I can just figure out how to stay off the computer and facebook…. Everything should be just fine.

PS- Thanks Pennie and Brandy for the welcome back! Brandy, you did make the cut.... I am not breaking up with you! ;) 

Breaking up is hard to do……

Wow, when you disappear from your blog, all chaos breaks loose. Right now I am in the process of going through blogs and “unfollowing” them. When I started blogging and following blogs… I liked the blogs that were not commercialized. You know the normal everyday people that blog, well…. Just to blog. Funny stories about children and teenagers and everyday life – yup they make me feel “normal”. Plus I had A LOT of extra time on my hands to read and keep up with everything.


I have decided to break up with some blogs on my list…. Well… because you either have not posted in a while, you have grown up and moved on to bigger and better blogs… or well you know things just aren’t working out.


This is actually a slow painful process for me. I am trying to get the good ol blog set back up with my own touches. I’ve been gone to long… Hopefully this weekend.

BBQ Chicken Pizza

YUMMY!!


What you will need:
1 whole-wheat prebaked pizza crust (12-15 inches)
12 ounces cooked chicken strips
1 bottle (18 ounces) barbecue sauce, any flavor and variety
1 ½ cups thinly sliced red onion
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded provolone cheese


Directions

1. Preheat oven according to pizza crust package directions.


2. Toss ½ cup of barbecue sauce with cooked chicken strips.


3. Spread remaining barbecue sauce on pizza crust.


4. Top with chicken strips, sliced onions and shredded cheese.


5. Bake according to pizza crust package directions, until all ingredients are hot throughout.


 
 
 
PS: HI! 
I plan on coming back to blog world.  Just gotta ease on back into it.
Many have left...
Many have slowed down...
Some of you have grown in followers...
Many new faces too.... ---- HI Nice to meet you!!

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Summer Lovin'

My how time flies....   I really only meant to take a short break for tax season. Really!  Honestly!!  I would just like to know, how do the days get shorter? There is so much going on that there is just never a spare moment, so it seems. OK, FINE... There is and I am addicted to this:

Things have also gone crazy with this:

I am loving this!!  Sorry, HAVE TO make a small plug here!  If you have ever thought of selling something on the side.... this would be your product!  Contact me and I will help you get set up!  - OR  visit, www.nicelyscented.com   

Gotta love the play on Nicely.  Sorry can't help it.

Not busy enough so yes, I started another "Nicely" business.  That would be Nicely Beaded.  I am working on setting up the website now. So I can't give you a link to that one. BUT I can show you a sample of the product!

Speaking of finishing up the website...  wow, it's time to do a little updating on the ol' blog I would say.

This Summer the family has also seen alot of this:

All while the little one did this:

Just so we could get to this:

This summer Miss Kobi volunteered at a church camp.  We were childless for 3 weeks!  Then we left for vacation.  Before we came home, we took her over to Arkansas and left her with her cousin for another 2 weeks.  Kobi has been back for a week now and I must say, it is weird having a child in the house again.  This summer has been scary, as most of her friends are getting cars and learning to drive.  Kobi is a young one, that will come a year from now for us. SO not ready.

This summer has been different in that the hubs was off of work for about 5 or 6 weeks.  he had bone spurs taken off his foot.  That gave us more time to get away.  I also had LASIK surgery done to my eyes.  Incredible!  Would recommend it to anyone!

OK.... enough of the quick jumpy random spastic thoughts.  I must get back to work! EWWW

HOWDY!

Yes, I know!!  I am horrible.  I will be back. Soon.  Just one more crazy weekend and I will be back.  I think.  

Drivers Gone Wild

Houston we have a problem. The rain is sucking brain cells out of the morning drivers’ head in Oklahoma City this morning. Talk about drivers gone wild! We hear about texting and driving (intexticated). But really, this morning, I saw:



Someone doing around 60 in a 45 and talking on the cell phone AND painting their nails. REALLY? You couldn’t have done that last night…. Or in the bathroom once you got to work?


Someone that obviously got up late. They must have because there was no time to read the morning paper. REALLY? Sometimes I wonder about people.


Then there was a guy that was driving from the passenger seat. The person in the driver’s seat was turning around and half way in the back seat to tend to a small child. Really? People pull over to take care of business.


OH and ummmm speaking of taking care of business…. I won’t mention what I think one woman may have been doing to the guy driving the car…. Really? Tint your windows please!!!!


Someone that forgot breakfast….He must have! Why else would he have been picking his nose and eating it. Guess he didn’t want to get his seat dirty and slimy.


Seriously, I was taught to pay attention while driving. Sometimes that really pays off and makes for a humorous morning.

Weekend Catch Up & Then Some....

I am beyond tired. Over the weekend I made the 2 hour one way trip to visit my Mom in Small Town, USA. I actually stayed the night at her house on Friday and got up super duper early on Saturday and helped her with her garage sale. Bless her heart, after staying up until 1am working on things, she decided she better get up early enough to wake the rooster on Saturday morning. Seriously? I was up and dressed and ready to go before 6 am. (this did include a shower and a made bed) I had a hard time making the trip back home, as I was so tired.



I did return home to a clean house and no dirty laundry. That was nice. My hubs was even nice enough to unload the truck for me, while I showered.  We ended up going out to eat and the next thing I know there are lots of extra people at the house. No biggie, it’s all fun. Hubs had people out in the garage playing pool and Kobi had a couple of friends over to watch movies. All is good and then we decide to load up the cars and head to the casino. Next thing I know I am using the restroom and I about fell asleep on the toilet in the casino bathroom. I look down at my phone to find out that it is 4am. Really? Needless to say, I gathered everyone else up and back home we went. By the time I made it to bed, I had been up 24 hours on only 4 hours of sleep the night before.


Mother’s Day we slept in until 11. Six hours of sleep never felt so good. We decided to not dirty the kitchen and go out to eat at a nearby chicken place. While there I try to play a joke on my sister-in-law about going to the casino…. A new one. Next thing I know… we are on our way to pick her up and go have some fun. We did make it home early and was tucked in bed by 10:30ish….


We have been going to the casino a lot lately. I would not say we have a gambling addiction. We have a fun addiction. We do not go blow our entire paychecks…. We take a set amount of cash. Usually $ 40 – 100. When that is gone, then it is gone. We use it more of a source of entertainment. We don’t go to the movies, we don’t go to the bars….sometimes we have friends over, but the casino is our time away from home fun.


Monday I thought I would get home from work and catch up on some sleep. Wrong! A few of these

decided that I needed to be kept awake. This picture was taken by a friend, sorry for the size.  ( The better pic is on my home computer and well I am posting at work - ON MY LUNCH HOUR) Anyhow, everyone I know is OK, there are a few with damage, but that is repairable. I will post details soon.....