February?

Can someone tell me what happened to the month of February??

Where did it go??

Well since tomorrow starts the month of March

Here is a little list of things to look forward to.

Party On!

American Red Cross Month
Colorectal Cancer awareness month
Fire Prevention Month (The Philippines)
Women's History Month (United States)
The wearing of a Martenitsa in Bulgaria and Mărţişor in Romania, March 1
Saint David's Day, March 1
National Reading Day (United States), March 2
Texas Independence Day, March 2: State holiday in Texas, United States
Mardi Gras (February 3 to March 9 in regular years, February 4 to March 9 in leap years)
Ash Wednesday (February 4 to March 10 in regular years, February 5 to March 10 in leap years)
World Maths Day, the 1st Wednesday in March
International Women's Day, March 8
Pluto Planet Day (New Mexico), March 13 (discussed here)
White Day(Asia), March 14
Pi Day, March 14
Save a Spider Day, March 14
The Ides of March, the anniversary of the assassination of Julius Caesar by Brutus, Cassius, Casca and others (March 15)
Anniversary of the 1848 Hungarian Revolution, March 15
Saint Patrick's Day, March 17
Saint Joseph's Day, March 19
The equinox, named the vernal or spring equinox in the northern hemisphere and the autumnal equinox in the southern hemisphere, occurs on dates varying from March 19 to March 21 (in UTC)
Nowruz: New Year's Day in Iran and several other countries; also a holiday in Turkey and Central Asian countries as well, celebrated on the day of the equinox
Good Friday, a Friday between March 20 and April 23, being the last Friday before Easter
Human Rights' Day (South Africa), March 21
Easter, the first Sunday after the first full moon on or after March 21, sometimes in April
World Water Day, March 22
Pakistan Day, March 23
Day of Polish-Hungarian Friendship, March 23
Annunciation, March 25
Celebration of the Greek War of Independence, March 25, 1821
Last day of Japanese fiscal year and school calendar, March 31. Hanami, the traditional Japanese custom of enjoying the beauty of flowers, starts around this time of the year.
Prince Kūhiō Day, March 26: state holiday in the State of Hawaii, United States
Bangladeshi Independence Day, March 26, 1971

Class Models

First field trip with my "Photographing Children" class.

Such cute kiddo's!

3 Times The Trouble

Puppy Update

Bentley aka Boo Dog 16lbs 7 oz (doubled his weight in a month)

Next is Dawson weighing in at 11 lbs

Walgrin weighs 12 lbs.

Less Than A Week

Just like new.

Orca

Dawn Brancheau, the whale trainer was killed on Wednesday.

And I can't quit thinking about it.

It is so sad.

We were just there at Sea World Orlando a month ago.

We went to see "Believe"

That is the killer whale show.

The Matriarch of the Pod was just not in the mood.

They tried and tried to get her to preform.

She wasn't playing that day.

In fact the past two times we've been there

the whales didn't play.

They tried for over 30 minutes.

That's Mother Nature they told us.

This is not the trainer that was killed.

She did get a few of the younger Whales to show their tricks.

What an amazing thing to watch these

beautiful creatures in captivity.

Something I have always taken for granted.

Again, just so sad.

How Much Is That Doggie In The Window?

My Mama and Daddy used to sing this song to me and my siblings.

It's always been a favorite of mine.

And when I hear it I can sing most all the words.

I've been singing it to the GRAND~girls lately.

I picked up the oldest one from school today and

from the back seat she had a request.

"Gigi will you sing me the doggie in the window, please?"

Well, when you say please!

And by all means it has to be Patti Page singing!

Tail Light Tape

My BIL backed into the Sweetheart's truck with the company dump truck.

You take out the old light out and take it into Wal-mart.

You buy another bulb just like the one you took out of the truck.

And you also buy some red Tail Light Tape.

Who knew they had such a thing??

Not I.

But the Sweetheart did.

So once you put the new bulb in, then you just tape up the hole with

the wonderful Tail Light Tape until it looks like this!

Ta-Da!!

Fixed until you can get it really fixed!!

Man's Best Friend?

(Look at those big feet, he's gonna be a big one!)

Bentley

For the last few weeks Shelby has been calling him

"Bentley Sears."

We have no idea where that came from but she

calls him that all the time.

I was telling my mama about it and she thought I said

Brittney Spears.

Shelby has been thinking that "Bentley" is a girls name.

So maybe she has the two confused, who knows?

Reagan calls Bentley,

"Boo Dog."

I guess she has heard us call him a Bull Dog

but it so cute the way she says it and now I call him that.

Half the time the Sweetheart calls him

"Pork Chop".

I feel an identity crisis in his future.

"Dawson"

He is the smallest of the three.

He is lighter in color than Walgrin.

He is sneaky.

He loves to wrestle.

He loves to cuddle and always wants to get in my lap.

"Walgrin"

He has darker ears and coloring.

He is thick and has big feet.

He is the leader of the pack.

He does not put up with that Boo Dog.

He is forever straightening him out.

He is the quiet one.

He started out as my favorite but now I couldn't really choose.

I'm enjoying all three of them and their personalities are really coming out.

My white Boo Dog now has black spots.

On his ears,

On his belly,

And tonight when I bathed him and he was wet,

there was black spots all over his back too.

I've been wondering now if they will really come on out?

This was an update and just in case you were wondering what I've been doing lately.

GREAT Nephew

Gracie Irene has a new brother!

Jude Philip Daley

7 pounds 10 ounces, 20 inches long.

Born Monday February 15, Provo, Utah

Proud parents are Ryan and Rachael Jacobs Daley

Sad Outcome

The body of a climber who fell into the crater at Mt. St. Helens in Washington state has been recovered, reports the Oregonian.

Rescuers were holding out hope that Joseph Bohlig, 52, from Kelso, Wash., was still alive after the ledge of snow he was standing on gave way, sending him sliding about 1,500 feet into the crater Monday afternoon.

Overnight temperatures at the crater fell into the 20s, and dense fog and rain shrouded Mt. St. Helens this morning, hampering rescue efforts, said David Cox, Skamania County undersheriff.

Witnesses said Bohlig's body, which was discovered at 2:40 p.m. on a steep slope on the south crater wall, was nearly buried in the snow, and rescuers had to use shovels to uncover it before loading it into the Navy helicopter used for the rescue effort.


Scott Salkovics, who was climbing with Bohlig, told officials that Bohlig took off his backpack and a layer of clothing, then decided to pose for pictures near the rim of the crater. He was backing up when the snow gave way and he fell.
Salkovics watched in horror as Bohlig fell, frantically trying to grab on to something before he disappeared over the edge.

The body has been airlifted to Carson, Wash., where it will be transported to the Clark County Medical Examiner's Office for an autopsy, Skamania County Sheriff's officials said.

-- Kelly Burgess

Photo: The crater and rim of Mt. St. Helens is shown partially obscured by moving clouds and fog Tuesday afternoon during the search for a climber who fell 1,500 feet into the dormant crater of the volcano Monday in Washington state. Credit: Ted S. Warren / Associated Press

Pray Tell

How does one fall into a volcano?

read about it here

Love

Happy Valentine's Day!

Best Valentines Gift I Ever Bought Myself!

See this picture of Echo and Amanda.

I stole it from Echo's post from Feb. 2008.

See that empty chair?

I should have been sitting in that chair.

They were in Jacksonville.

They were seeing this hunk in concert.

I guess they don't say "Hunk" anymore, I think it's "Hottie".

Well the good news is......

Tickets to see Michael Buble' went on sale today

and Echo got our tickets!

And this time I am going and there won't be an empty chair by Amanda!!

I'll be sitting there and I can't wait!!!

But I have too because the concert is in July :(

(The Sweetheart will be paying for my ticket so I guess I didn't really buy myself a Valentine's present after all.)

Wordless Wednesday

Sea World Resident

Tasty Tuesday

I saw these on Pioneer Woman's site a few years ago and have always wanted to try them. I thought that it was a time consuming project and always put it off until another time. I couldn't think of anything I wanted to take to Amy's baby shower last weekend. It dawned on me that I had every thing to make these and so I did! They were easy and really didn't take that long to put together.

You must go and see P. W.'s tutorial it's really a good one.

They were a little different but good.

Hey, you can wrap bacon around anything and it taste good, right?

Holiday Bacon Appetizers

Ingredients
1 package Club Crackers
1 pound Thin Sliced Bacon (or More Depending On Number Of Crackers)
Grated Parmesan Cheese
Optional Alternative: Brown Sugar Instead Of Parmesan Cheese

Preparation Instructions
Lay crackers (as many as you want) face up on a cookie sheet.
Scoop about 1 teaspoon of grated Parmesan cheese onto each cracker. Cut your package of bacon in half (or cut pieces individually) and carefully, so the cheese doesn’t fall off, wrap each cheese covered cracker in one half piece of bacon, completely covering the cracker. It should fit snugly around the cracker.
Place the bacon wrapped crackers onto a baking sheet that has a rack on it.
Place in a 250-degree oven for about 2 hours.
Pioneer Woman's recipe.

Do You Remember Congo Squares?

This is another one of those recipes that I have had in my recipe book since the 70's. I probably haven't made them since the early 90's that is until this weekend. I made them and took them to a baby shower. They were as good as I remembered.

Congo Squares
3/4 cup butter, melted
2 1/4 cups packed light brown sugar
3 eggs
2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup chopped walnuts
6 ounces semi-sweet chocolate chips

1.Preheat oven to 325 degrees F (165 degrees C). Grease a 9x13 inch baking pan. Set aside.
2.In a large mixing bowl, combine butter or margarine and brown sugar; cool slightly. Beat in eggs, one at a time. In a separate bowl, combine flour, baking powder, and salt; add to sugar mixture and mix well. Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
3.Pour into prepared pan. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes. When almost cool, cut into 48 squares.

Congratulations!

Oh, when the saints go marching in
Oh, when the saints go marching in
Lord, how I want to be in that number
When the saints go marching in!!!

Southern Welcome

The Welcoming Pineapple

The pineapple has been a universal symbol of hospitality and welcome for many centuries all over the world.

During the colonial days in in America, a hostess's ability to have a pineapple for an important dining event said as much about her rank as it did about her resourcefulness. So sought after were the prickly fruits that colonial confectioners sometimes rented them to households by the day. Later, the same fruit was sold to other, more affluent clients who actually ate it. As you might imagine, hostesses would have gone to great lengths to conceal the fact that the pineapple that was the visual apogee of their table display and a central topic of their guests' conversation was only rented.

The Pineapple symbolized the utmost in welcome and hospitality to your visitor. Often when the visitor spent the night, he was given the bedroom which had the pineapples carved on the bedposts or headboard--even if the bedroom belonged to the head of the household.

I took these pictures in Charleston, South Carolina. The pineapples are everywhere. I wish I would have taken a lot more pictures of them. Charleston is such a welcoming and charming southern city. One of my favorites.

We Were Robbed

Two days before Thanksgiving between 8:30 AM and 12:00 noon we were robbed. We were not home at the time. Who ever it was came through the bedroom window of the room we had been remodeling. I don't think they were in the house very long but long enough to take things they could lift easily and carry out quickly. Camera, lenses, iPod, laptop, Prescriptions, money and so forth. It could have been so much worse, they could have gotten a lot more than they did. But it really knocked me for a loop and really un~nerved me. It has taken me nearly two months to get over this and to shake the scary feelings I've been left with. I've been afraid that they would come back once they thought we had replaced the things they had stolen and do it all over again. We've made a lot of changes around our home and the way we have always done things. We've lived here 32 years and never had anything stolen from inside our home. Only a few things from the garage and yard.

That being said, I got this email from the parents and I wanted to share it with y'all and hope you will read it and take heed.

Twenty One Things Your Burglar Won't Tell You:


1. Of course I look familiar. I was here just last week cleaning your carpets, painting your shutters, or delivering your new refrigerator.

2. Hey, thanks for letting me use the bathroom when I was working in your yard last week. While I was in there, I unlatched the back window to make my return a little easier.

3. Those yard toys your kids leave out always make me wonder what type of gaming system they have.

4. Yes, I really do look for newspapers piled up on the driveway. And I might leave a pizza flyer in your front door to see how long it takes you to remove it.

5. If it snows while you're out of town, get a neighbor to create car and foot tracks into the house. Virgin drifts in the driveway are a dead giveaway.

6. If decorative glass is part of your front entrance, don't let your alarm company install the control pad where I can see if it's set. That makes it too easy...

7. A good security company alarms the window over the sink. And the windows on the second floor, which often access the master bedroom-and your jewelry.
8. It's raining, you're fumbling with your umbrella, and you forget to lock your door-understandable. But understand this: I don't take a day off because of bad weather.

9. I always knock first. If you answer, I'll ask for directions somewhere or offer to clean your gutters. (Don't take me up on it.)

10. Do you really think I won't look in your sock drawer? I always check dresser drawers, the bedside table, and the medicine cabinet.

11. Helpful hint: I almost never go into kids' rooms.

12. You're right: I won't have enough time to break into that safe where you keep your valuables. But if it's not bolted down, I'll take it with me.

13. A loud TV or radio can be a better deterrent than the best alarm system.
If you're reluctant to leave your TV on while you're out of town, you can buy a $35 device that works on a timer and simulates the flickering glow of a real television. (Find it at faketv.com.)

14. Sometimes, I carry a clipboard. Sometimes, I dress like a lawn guy and carry a rake. I do my best to never, ever look like a crook.
15. The two things I hate most: loud dogs and nosy neighbors.

16. I'll break a window to get in, even if it makes a little noise. If your neighbor hears one loud sound, he'll stop what he's doing and wait to hear it again. If he doesn't hear it again, he'll just go back to what he was doing.. It's human nature.

17. I'm not complaining, but why would you pay all that money for a fancy alarm system and leave your house without setting it?

18. I love looking in your windows. I'm looking for signs that you're home, and for flat screen TVs or gaming systems I'd like. I'll drive or walk through your neighborhood at night, before you close the blinds, just to pick my targets.

19. Avoid announcing your vacation on your Facebook page. It's easier than you think to look up your address.

20. To you, leaving that window open just a crack during the day is a way to let in a little fresh air. To me, it's an invitation.

21. If you don't answer when I knock, I try the door. Occasionally, I hit the jackpot and walk right in.

Sources: Convicted burglars in North Carolina , Oregon , California , Kentucky , security consultant Chris McGoey, who runs crimedoctor.com; and Richard T. Wright, a criminology professor at the University of Missouri-St. Louis, who interviewed 105 burglars for his book Burglars on the Job.

Protection for you and your home:

If you don't have a gun, here's a more humane way to wreck some one's evil plans for you.

Wasp Spray

When asked by a concerned person about using pepper spray, the local police department recommended that she get a can of wasp spray instead.

The wasp spray, they told her, can shoot up to twenty feet away and is more accurate, while with the pepper spray, they have to get too close and could overpower you. The wasp spray temporarily blinds an attacker until they get to the hospital for an antidote.

On the heels of a break in and beating in Toledo, self-defense experts have a tip that could save your life.

A teacher in the art of self-defense has told his students for decades to keep a can of wasp and hornet spray near their door or bed.. "This is better than anything I can teach them." It is inexpensive, easy to find, and more effective than mace or pepper spray. The cans typically shoot 20 to 30 feet; so if someone tries to break into your home, "spray the culprit in the eyes".

"That's going to give you a chance to call the police; maybe get out." Maybe even save your life.

Tasty Tuesday

Magical Peanut Butter Cookies
Ingredients:
1 egg
1 cup sugar, or 1 1/3 cup sugar replacement (recommended: Splenda)
1 cup peanut butter, creamy or crunchy
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions
Preheat the oven to 350 degrees . Grease a large baking sheet.

In a mixing bowl, combine the peanut butter, 1 cup equivalent of the Splenda, the egg, and vanilla, and stir well with a spoon. Roll the dough into balls the size of walnuts. Place the balls on the prepared baking sheet. With a fork, dipped in Splenda to prevent sticking, press a crisscross design on each cookie. Bake for 12 minutes, remove from the oven, and sprinkle the cookies with some of the remaining Splenda. Cool slightly before removing from pan.

Recipe courtesy of Paula Deen

Is This You??