Rose Cottage Lane

Is There Anybody Out There?

2009-07-12T08:08:00.001-05:00

Just wondering if anyone is still out there?
I know I put this blog to bed about a year ago,
but here I again, seeing if anyone is left.

It's Finally Here!!

2008-05-26T07:25:00.002-05:00

My new blog home is ready! Please join me at my new home. If you have Rose Cottage Lane linked on your site, please change the link name and address to the following:

That's Hot! Warning: This Post Contains Photos That Are Not For The Squeamish

2008-05-22T20:22:00.006-05:00

In the words of Paris Hilton....that's hot! My arm is what's hot, now that it's been deep-fried. We had a slight cooking catastrophe at our house last night and I wound up with 1st and 2nd degree burns on my right arm. I'm okay. I've not gone to a doctor, but I might go to an urgent care clinic near work tomorrow if the blistered area looks any worse.

Last night, Sarah and I were frying churros for her Spanish class project that was today. The first batch went fine. The oil was about 20˚ below what it called for. I was using a thermometer to keep close watch of things. When we went to put the 2nd batch in, they cooked for a little while then suddenly - BOOM - one exploded all over the place, sending 350+˚ oil into the air, onto the stove and the ceiling and the floor. My first instinct was to step backwards, as the oil caught fire when it hit the burner. Unfortunately, this also meant I stepped into a puddle of grease on the floor and fell smack dab on my bottom. I managed to get up, and Brad had already lept to his feet with the swiftness of a super-hero. He was in the kitchen immediately, grabbed the fire extinguisher from next to the kitchen sink (mounted on a cabinet) and began spraying the stove, where the oil and remaining churros were still exploding and catching fire. When it finally died down, he was able to turn off the burner, the controls of which are "ingeniously" placed on the back of the stove, where one has to reach across the flaming pot to turn off the heat.

Brad wouldn't let me help much, even though I wanted to and kept trying to sneak in to help anyway. He and Ashley cleaned up the entire countertop and stove area. Everything that had been on the counter top had to be washed. The cabinet doors had to be washed, the stove pulled out and mopped under and behind, the walls wiped down, the ceiling had to be de-churroed and the floor was mopped twice - all by Brad and Ashley. I did a little wiping down. Our 6-month-old $80 toaster was trashed, because dust from the extinguisher was in every nook and cranny. (That'll teach me to buy an expensive toaster, huh?) There was also a pile of cooking magazines, most as-of-yet-unread, and recipes untried, on the microwave that I didn't even mess with, just tossed them. Minor loss. No heartaches there.

Needless to say, Sarah did not take churros for her project. Her teacher was very understanding and excused that portion for her. She did get a small burn on her arm, but thankfully, I took most of the injuries. I would feel so much worse if it had been she who was hurt. I had Ashley take pictures for me. The blister on my elbow just started this morning and has ballooned up over the course of the day. If it doesn't look better, or looks worse tomorrow, I'll be heading over to an urgent care near work. Thankfully it doesn't hurt really. That concerns Brad a little as he thinks I've probably got some tissue damage. Stay tuned for photos.

I don't know how I'd have gotten out of this in such good shape and such a clean kitchen without my personal super-hero. Brad was wonderful and I know cleaning up all the extinguisher dust-covered oil goop was no fun. He said, I guess it's spring cleaning just a little late. I told him this evening it wasn't really an accident, I just wanted someone else to clean the kitchen for me. Seriously though, he never complained last night even though I know his back and knees were killing him, he was hot and sweaty and exhausted by the time we all went to bed at almost midnight. I love you Brad - thank you.

You can get more of the story, with more bits I probably left out, at Brad's blog. He tells a much better story than I do.

In the meantime - let this be a reminder. Do you have WORKING smoke detectors in your home? Are the batteries fresh? Do you have a kitchen fire extinguisher in a handy, easy to reach place? Do you know how to use it? Is it still good? Go check these things immediately!! If we hadn't had the extinguisher handy, we would have had a much more dangerous situation on our hands. Check with your local fire department if you need help - they are more than happy to help keep you safe.

And now, if you're squeamish, look away. If you're a medical trauma fan (like my favorite mother-in-law - hi Judy!) here's your chance at some good icky photos (all photos were taken by our new resident photographer, Ashley):

Rollin' on the River

2008-05-21T18:08:00.004-05:00

My new place of employment is owned by wonderful men who believe in taking care of their employees and who understand that without employees, they wouldn't be a company.

Every month they have a monthly meeting, usually off-site, to discuss the monthly "numbers". They print out the monthly profit/loss statement and each employee gets a copy, so that we can all see the bottom line. There is also a profit-sharing program, where the eligible employees share a percentage of the profit. They also want to make sure there are no secrets. In addition, having the employees know the bottom line means they are more likely to watch waste, mistakes, etc.

When we have a record-breaking sales month, the employees get a special treat during the monthly sales meeting. In the past, they've done things like laser tag, gone out to eat at very nice restaurants and more. This month, we were treated to a catered lunch on one of the Devon boats to cruise the Oklahoma River that was chartered just for our company. We spent an hour and a half on the river, cruising up and down from the locks to dock. We didn't get to go through the locks, but another boat did.

We had a really great time. It was so fun and relaxing. Here are some pictures from my iPhone.

Pocketbooks and Book Bags

2008-05-18T20:09:00.005-05:00

Remember when purses used to be called pocketbooks and bags were called book bags? Well, a few Etsy sellers have given a new twist to those terms, selling purses that are literally old books! These are SO cool! If I carried WAY less stuff, I'd absolutely carry one of these conversation starters.

Retrograndma sells purses made from books, old vinyl records and more cool stuff. You can check out her shop at THIS link.

Pretty Theory's shop is filled with great titles paired with lovely print fabrics that make each purse a true work of art. Very cute stuff! Take a look HERE.

Rebound Designs does a lovely job of making high quality purses out of books in excellent condition. The handles are unique and add to the stylishness of the purses. Check out their shop at THIS page. Or check out her website HERE.

Want to make your own hardcover pocketbook? Check out THIS tutorial at HGTV.com.

Something Big Is Coming

2008-05-16T08:33:00.003-05:00

Something big is coming to a blog near you in the coming weeks!

Look for big changes, a new name and even a new address.

Brad is going to help me revamp my blog, make it bigger and better, add a fresh coat of "paint" and some new graphics.

I can't wait for you to see it! Stay tuned for for more news on this developing story.

Until then just hang out with me here. I should be posting something new this afternoon or evening.

A Stack of Pancakes For My Chauffeur, Please!

2008-05-12T19:39:00.008-05:00

If you're human, you probably understand how cravings work. If you've ever been pregnant, you laugh at the mere mention of cravings.

This evening, after a lovely supper of prosciutto-wrapped chicken and roasted green beans, I suddenly had a craving for pancakes. (No, I'm not pregnant. Yes, I'm SURE.) I don't eat pancakes very often, because I usually feel a bit of the "I-can't-believe-I-ate-the-whole-thing" syndrome afterwards. But IHOP (or was it Denny's?) just had a commercial come on tv a few minutes ago and they were showing pancakes. Oh they looked so delicious, with butter melting and syrup dripping. Yum! I'm telling you, we're going to be having pancakes before the week is through. But don't you dare say I told you so, when I get that ICBIATWT feeling again. Just let me relish in my misery, won't you?

Before I ever thought of pancakes, I was driving home from work this afternoon, and I had to stop for several long stoplights, and also waited in line at the bank drive-thru for over 30 minutes. When I had the chance, I would pick up the Oklahoma Gazette I had with me and read a sentence or two. I had the thought, as I annoyingly put down my paper in order to drive, that if I were rich, I'd certainly like to have a chauffeur. There would be times I'd rather drive myself, but boy it would be nice to sit back and read and catch up on blogs (I'd have a laptop with me you know) and all those things I don't have time for now, because I have to worry about not hitting a car on the road, and pesky things like that.

Brad has decided that if he were rich (which would mean I'd be rich too), he'd like two homes - one in New England at which to spend Christmas, and one somewhere tropical at which to spend the summer. And since I'm rich because he is, I'd pick out the summer house which would be somewhere on a Caribbean beach. We could get a chauffeur who also knows how to pilot a plane and a yacht. We'd have to stop at IHOP (or was that Denny's?) and get pancakes to get rid of this craving of mine, and I'm sure the other three members of my family would want to eat too. But I'm a nice person (I think), so I'd buy a stack of pancakes for our driver/pilot/captain too. Oh waiter! Five stacks of pancakes please!

Anniversary

2008-05-10T08:45:00.005-05:00

Yesterday was Brad and my 16th wedding anniversary. We had a very nice dinner last night at one of our favorite restaurants. Brad wrote some wonderful sentiments about it, and our marriage at his blog. I hope you'll go take a look. He gave me a wonderful, huge peace lily plant for my desk. About a month ago he let me buy an iPhone, as you'll remember. I consider that an anniversary gift. I got him a bottle of Intimately David Beckham cologne. (Smells so sexy!) I also got him the entire set of As Time Goes By (our favorite British show) on dvd.

It's been a wonderful 16 years. There have been rough patches, but as they say, what doesn't kill you only makes you stronger. Such is the case with us.

I love you Brad!

What's Up?

2008-05-07T20:21:00.002-05:00

I thought I'd check in and let everyone know how things are going.

Work is going well. I'm liking my job, even into week 3! LOL I'm starting to get the hang of things and my boss if finding less and less "mistakes" on my estimates (for printing). That's encouraging. We seem to be falling into a nice way of working together.

We had a great time on Saturday, going on the Moving Up Downtown. We toured about half of the listed properties and really enjoyed ourselves. Brad got some wonderful photos, so go take a look at his blog. He has four posts in the planned series, two of which have already posted. After the tour, we went down to Bricktown and ate lunch at Chelino's, one of our favorite Mexican restaurants (there are photos of that on his blog too). After lunch, we decided to take a canal boat ride on the Bricktown Canal. We had a great time!

The girls are gearing up for the end of school and are also eagerly anticipating the summer. Sarah will go to church camp in June, and possibly on a church mission trip. Ashley will be gone to church camp during July 4 week. They are both excited and have already started the list-making procedure. We found their new swimsuits at Target last night, so that's a start at least.

I'm finally reading the Mitford books by Jan Karon. I've been meaning to read these books for ages, and just never have gotten around to it. I don't know what I was waiting on, but am glad I've started them. I'm about halfway through At Home In Mitford.

Our dogs seem to be handling the transition of being home alone all day fairly well. We had our first potty accident today. Thankfully they stay in the kitchen, but unfortunately one of the boy dogs went potty on the laundry room door. We'll give it a few more tries before we start making Sam (who is the likely suspect) wear his belly bands again.

Well, I'm off to try and read a few blogs. It has been about a month since I've been able to really read my favorite blogs, with the exception of one or two. Please don't feel I'm ignoring you, I just haven't had much time on the computer at all.

What's going on in your lives?

Moving Up Downtown

2008-04-29T21:34:00.002-05:00

Ever since we got a private tour of a really cool private loft apartment above the Untitled (ArtSpace) in downtown OKC, we've loved the idea of living in an urban loft. In recent years, more and more loft-style apartments have been, and are being, built in the areas immediately surrounding Downtown. Ashley has already announced that when she's an adult, she'll be living in a really cool modern-style loft apartment. I can actually believe that she will. We can't afford to live in one of these places right now, but it sure would be fun to tour them!

If, like us, you think lofts and urban "hip" apartments are really cool, and you live in the Oklahoma City area, you might like to take the Moving Up Downtown Living Tour this Saturday. The tour is from 11am to 5pm and features quite a few of the new apartment "complexes" or buildings around Downtown. There is even a free shuttle to take you from place to place. For more information, check out this website.

And who knows, maybe, just like The Jeffersons, you too will soon be movin' on up!

Beauty Find

2008-04-27T18:28:00.003-05:00

For years now, I've read in beauty/fashion magazines and on beauty sites about the Nars makeup stick called "The Multiple". Everyone touts it as such a wonderful product and a "must try". Before now, I've only had online access to this product, so I've never tried it, but have wanted to. This past week, I took some time during my lunch break from work and went to the mall up the street. I needed to get a case for my iPhone so while I was there, I stopped into Sephora. I love that store! I tried the sample of this "wonder product" that can be applied to cheeks, eyes and lips. Everyone supposedly loves the color called orgasm but it seemed to pale for my pale skin. It would look beautiful on tanned skin, but there was not enough contrast, and too much shimmer for my 37-year-old pale skin. So I kept looking at the color selection and ended up trying "Maui". This is a perfectly neutral pink with just enough hint of warmth to be worn with either warm or cool colors. It is beautiful on my skin tone and is the perfect color for my lips, as well as doing a great job of bringing out the brown in my eyes without the color making me look tired. I decided to splurge and purchase a stick of this stuff.

So far I'm loving it. I love being able to just stick one tube in my makeup bag for the day and that's all I have to keep track of. I do keep a small lip brush with it, as I don't want to cross-contaminate from my cheeks to my eyes to my lips. I typically wipe it off with a tissue before each use and use my fingers to apply to my cheeks and eyes and the brush to apply to my lips. At $37, it's not cheap, but a little goes a long way and it's taking the place of 3 separate products. I will definitely purchase this again and might even try other colors in the collection. Hooray for a product that lives up to all of the hype it's been given!

Just Call Me Storm

2008-04-25T20:40:00.007-05:00

Photo by Stock.xchng photographer duchessa (Gabriella Fabbri)

If you have ever watched American Gladiators, either in this decade or 20 years ago, you'll recall that they have really cool, tough-sounding names. I've decided I should probably take the name "Storm". But it's not because I'm tough.

You see, the past two nights I have not slept well. My mind has woken me up at 2:30 on Thursday morning, and 2:00 this morning. This is not good when you can't seem to get back to sleep and you have to be up at 5:45 to get ready for work and be there at 7:30 a.m. So what was keeping me awake? Work. It's only my first week and already I'm waking up in the middle of the night fretting and worrying. Now, that is bad. And it's not the job. Sure, the printing industry can't get downright harried on a regular basis, but this week has NOT been stressful at all for me. This morning I felt that old familiar tightening of the shoulders and churning of the stomach, even as I was leaving the house for my commute. And as I got into the car, this still small voice whispered into my soul: "Karla, you're creating your own storm." Whoa! I'm not someone that has ever heard an audible voice of God, but I know when He is speaking to my spirit. This is one of those times.

I've been creating stress for myself! Already! My perfectionist tendencies kept saying I should know all the stuff already, when there is no logical or even fathomable way I could ever know the details of a company I've never worked at before! The fundamentals of my job I know, as I've worked in the printing industry before, but each company is different in how they do things, and the only way to learn it is to experience it. So why did I think I could simply "know" all of it immediately? Silliness!

Thankfully, I listened to that voice. I know what I've been doing and I can try to stop creating my own stress. I tend to get myself worked up easily, and I want to learn to manage my stress better. Even better, I want to stop creating stress for myself when no outside influences are producing it for me.

The week ended very nicely, with both the President and the Vice-President whom I work with directly, telling me how thrilled they are to have me as part of the team and how they feel hiring me was the perfect decision. Talk about a confidence booster!

I've missed reading all of your wonderful blogs and hope to catch up on some of my favorites this weekend, but that may prove difficult. The in-laws are popping in for a visit tomorrow. I was supposed to go to a gardening class at the home of a friend from church but will have to cancel that. Sadly, I was the one that came up with the idea of the class. I feel a little bad about that, but whatcha gonna do? To me, family is more important most of the time and I can learn to garden any old time. I won't be sleeping in tomorrow, as I've been given a request for a breakfast of donuts from a store that's about 12 miles from here. That's okay, I'll have Sunday afternoon to catch up on my sleep. And besides, who can say no to donuts on a Saturday morning?

Well, I better go "reboot" my laundry and wash the dishes before I sweep the kitchen floor. Hope you all are doing well! I appreciate all of the good luck, the well-wishes and the prayers coming my way. You all are so wonderful!

It's Been One Week Since You Looked At Me

2008-04-23T06:47:00.002-05:00

Okay, not really, and it's me not looking at you lately, isn't it?

Work is going well so far. There is a learning curve associated with my job, which is in the printing industry (can't remember if I mentioned that before). Every printing company does things just a little differently and this one is no exception, but they are more advanced, more organized and just plain smarter about how they do things when compared with the place I worked 5 years ago. I was hoping that the basics would be like riding a bicycle - something you don't forget entirely. Thankfully, I was right, for the most part.

I really like the people I work with tremendously. They are all nice and funny and easy to get along with. There is one exception. It's a lady who makes the place run, essentially, and she has a reputation for rages. I'm not afraid to admit I'm afraid of her, but I've been told that someone has been working closely with her for the past few months and that her demeanor and her attitude has changed dramatically so far. I know I will screw up, many times, and I just have to get my bearings and face whatever may come.

The downside of this job is that the printing industry tends to be stressful. It is constant deadlines on a never-ending basis all coming from people who want their stuff NOW. Also complicating things is the fact that I'm married to a picky customer. Actually, he should be a picky customer because it's his reputation on the line when it comes to the things he sends to be printed for clients, or now employers. It's not the printing company that hears the complaints about a late job or a mess-up, it's him. And his picky-ness has actually been a catalyst over the years for this printer to fix things that are wrong and even buy new equipment to meet customer needs.

The thing I love the most is how well the employees are treated. They are really cared for. It's not a case of, we better take care of them so they don't quit, it's a genuine interest in the employee's well-being. Now that is uncommon these days.

The girls are being real troopers and taking care of the dogs when they get home, asking if they can start anything to get supper going, etc. I'm hoping that lasts throughout the long, and potentially boring summer they'll spend at home. LOL

So that's how things are going so far. I'm off to make my commute now! Hope you all are doing well. I miss visiting my favorite blogs, but I'm still trying to figure out where I can fit that into my day, and so far no available time has shown up. Please don't think it's because I don't care anymore!

Have a wonderful day. Until next time!

The Saturday Morning Post

2008-04-19T07:42:00.006-05:00

Remember The Saturday Evening Post magazine? My grandparents used to subscribe to it. Is it even still around? Well, even if it's gone, consider this The Saturday Morning Post. I don't often post on Saturdays but I thought I'd share what our busy day will hold. I'm dressed and ready for the day - complete to shoes, makeup and hair. Brad is dressed as well except for shoes. Sarah is on the couch still in PJs and Ashley is still in bed which is normal for a Saturday morning.

We'll be headed to a warehouse store later to day to stock up on necessities. Ashley has informed me that it's sample day today which excites her greatly. She loves samples and free stuff.

We'll probably grab a quick lunch, not sure whether it will be out or at home. Then at 1 we head to church to get the girls registered for camp and get their physicals. It's nice having doctors and nurses in our church! This will be their first year of camp and they are excited. I think Ashley might be a little nervous about going but I know she'll be okay.

Then this evening, the girls and I, along with one friend each for them, are headed to the mall to do some girly stuff. Ashley wanted a trip to the mall with a friend for her birthday so Sarah is coming along with a friend of hers as well. I'm tagging along because who wants to miss an evening of window shopping!? I need to pick up some new mascara while I'm there. Hopefully some cosmetics company at either Dillard's or Macy's will be having a free gift with purchase. That would be awesome. Supper will be something from the food court. I've got my thinking on an Auntie Ann's pretzel and a Sonic vanilla coke. Yum!

What does your Saturday look like?

I Got A Job

2008-04-17T16:47:00.002-05:00

Just a quick note to let all of you, my dear readers, know that starting Monday, my postings may not be as regular. I am starting a new job on Monday and will be working outside the home full-time again. I've had a wonderful 4 months working from home. This opportunity seemed to drop in my lap straight from heaven just at the right time and I simply couldn't say no.

I'll still be around, will still be blogging, but it may be more sporadic, especially as I readjust to the real working world, since it will be the first time in 5 years I've worked for someone other than Brad as my boss.

Say a prayer for me and our family, if you think about it, as we make this transition.

They've Got It Going On!

2008-04-17T09:56:00.019-05:00

You asked for it, you got it, not Toyota, but Bon Jovi! I know you want details, so here they are.

The girls and I drove downtown to pick up Brad from his office and we headed to a little Mexican restaurant we like called La Luna. If you are ever in downtown OKC and craving some good Mexican food, head to this little place. We had a nice leisurely dinner and had fun talking and getting excited about the concert. Here is Brad making fake-grumpy faces at Ashley who is sporting her usual silly for-the -camera grin.

Sarah was trying to avoid having her photo taken but I eventually got her, with a mouthful of chips! Ha Ha!

We then headed the few blocks to the Ford Center area, where we decided to park in the underground parking at the Cox Convention Center, which is right across the street. We paid $6 which is the normal price, but cheaper than some of the outside lots surrounding the area. We saw one parking area that is normally $5, selling spots for $10 on Bon Jovi night. That's parking lot robbery!

Even though it was only about 5:45-ish, and the doors didn't open until 6 (concert to start at 7:30), we stood off to the side of the ever-growing lines. We were right next to the tables where the fan club members signed in and where those who paid $1000 each for the VIP treatment were to sign in. Being Spring in Oklahoma meant wind, so we chased down the crew's fly-away papers several times. We were secretly hoping that we'd get a cool VIP Bon Jovi bag for our kindness, but no such luck. They only gave those to the $1000 folks. That's okay though.

We love to people-watch and had a great time observing the different people in the crowd. You had your average joes like us, then you had some weird-looking folks who we were surprised to see at a Bon Jovi concert as they just didn't fit the "norm", then you had the best group to watch, and that was the 40-something women who are still acting like groupies, dressed to kill or at least to show lots of cleavage. They were the uber-tanned, prima-donna types who I told Brad were most likely groupies in high school way back when Bon Jovi was first popular. I also told Brad that the good thing about groups like Bon Jovi that never go out of style is that if you were a groupie back then, you could still be a groupie in your 40s. LOL

Then there was a man we got a big kick out of who walked up to the VIP table. He was dressed in black from head to toe, wearing an expensive leather blazer. He was a big, quite tough looking guy with black hair. You could tell he had money to blow, and we thought perhaps he was a member of the Mafia, but then he made sure to let his badge show when he took out his wallet to get his driver's license. So maybe he was FBI or CIA but boy he could have gone underground in the Mafia easily! He also did not like the idea that a VIP, and someone of his obvious importance, should have to stand in the line with all of us other peons. It was quite amusing.

People watching continued, but not as much, as we finally made our way into the building and up to the rafters to find our seats. We were 5 rows from the very top and at first it was a bit unconcerting with the heights. But we were fine after awhile. This photo is a little hazy because of the "smoke" in the air.

We got bored rather quickly and since we still had over an hour before the concert started, we decided to go out into the corridor and walk around the circle (the Ford Center is a round arena so you could just go out to the hallway and keep going around in the circle over and over). While walking around, Ashley and Sarah wanted to look out the windows and much to our delighted surprise, we realized we'd stumbled upon the area where the crew buses and equipment trucks were parked. How cool is that! And you know I had to get pictures.

We counted somewhere between 6 to 9 buses parked down there, some of which are out of view in this photo. Then there were the equipment trucks. You can see 5 in this photo, but there were 2 more toward the left edge of this shot, plus there were 3 more parked along the street on the other side of the arena, and after the concert, there were 4 more semis parked along the street you see on the other side of the fence, just at the top of this photo. That is a LOT of stuff!

After this excitement we walked around a little while longer and then headed back to our seats.

We did notice one funny thing on the LCD advertisement that circled its way around the arena. This was apparently not the Lost Highway tour, but the Lost Higway tour. Someone had forgotten the "h" in Highway! How embarrassing! Spell check, people!

The concert finally started a little after 7:30. Daughtry was the opening act, and while I like several of their songs, if I based my liking them on this concert, I wouldn't listen to them at all. It was so loud that you couldn't understand a word Chris Daughtry said or sang. even the songs that I knew I couldn't understand! I have to be honest and say I was a bit worried about the rest of the concert, especially since the jumbo-tron on our side wasn't working, so we could only see them from however high up we were. They looked like tiny little ant performers carrying guitars and microphones. There was one funny thing during the time Daughtry performed. At one point, Chris said to the crowd, we're going to do something fun - at the count of three everyone take a photo at the same time. It won't turn out, but it will be fun. So that's what we did. And actually it didn't turn out all that bad. Here is the photo with everyone flashing - as you can tell, the room is much brighter than before.

Daughtry sang for about 40 minutes at which time there was a brief intermission, in the dark, while they changed the stage for Bon Jovi to come on. And then there was an ever-increasing roar in the crowd and it was finally time!

Can I just say, Jon Bon Jovi is simply like fine wine - he really does get better with age. Oh that face, those biceps, that voice!

When Bon Jovi started singing, the sound issues were magically fixed and all of the screens worked great. Now, don't ask me what the first song was, because I simply can't remember. I had intended to try and recreate a song list of what they sang but that didn't work out because I was just too into the music. I will say they did an outstanding job of mixing songs from the new Lost Highway album with old classics that every Bon Jovi fan loves, including a solo by Richie Sambora of I'll Be There For You. Chris Daughtry did a duet with Bon Jovi on Blades of Glory, which was awesome. Their voices really blend together well. I think Jon changed shirts about 4 times during the concert. The special effects were really cool too!

At one point, about halfway through the 2-hour set, the lights came back up and Jon is standing on a platform out in the audience at stage left about a third of the way out into the crowd. He had his acoustic guitar and sang "Bed of Roses". He was surrounded by ladies in the audience and spent a good part of the time touching people and holding hands. They showed the crowd around him and there was this little girl, probably around 8 or 9 and she had the most awed look on her face as he sang so closely to her. It was so cute.

Despite the ringing in my ears that lasted until mid-morning yesterday, I was ready to go to another Bon Jovi concert the next night. If I could, I'd sacrifice and pay the $1000 to have the back-stage pass and all the other perks the VIPs got. But it was so worth every penny we paid. It was worth the nosebleed seats. It was worth having to get up and down 7 times for the same people to enter and leave our row over and over. It was worth the man a few seats away (also the one who kept going in and out, but was indeed a very nice man) who was chain smoking during a non-smoking concert in a non-smoking building. It was worth the 30 minutes it took to go 5 blocks to the highway to get home. It was worth not getting to bed until after midnight.

Yep, I'd do it all again.

I didn't upload all of the photos I took. In fact, I apparently lost a whole bunch of them (some of the best ones, of course) from my camera somehow because when I went to download they weren't on my camera. So sad! But if you'd like to see the rest of the photos that I didn't post here, you can see them by following this link.

Have a nice day!

Awesome!

2008-04-16T08:02:00.010-05:00

As you know, last night was the Bon Jovi concert. Truth be told, it's the first concert other than Christian worship concerts that I've ever been to in my life. One word - AWESOME! I will give you a review, and some photos, later, but right now I want to talk about something else that is totally awesome - Ashley is 13 today!

My, how she's grown! I love you Ashley. You're such a joy and I am delighted to be your mom, and your friend. Our little baby is now a young woman. We are so proud of you, Ashley!

Our Little Easter Bunny - Born Easter Sunday 1995

Oh That Smile!

And She's Off!

Kindergarten Girl

Elementary Student Extrordinaire!

Lovely Young Lady

I'm Not Paying My Taxes Today

2008-04-15T07:44:00.005-05:00

I'm simply not going to pay my taxes today. I have something much more important to do on April 15. You know what that is right? Bon Jovi, baby! Tonight is the Bon Jovi concert! Daughtry will be in concert with them, so that will be a nice extra bonus.
I'm SO excited!!! Brad has a couple of Bon Jovi videos on his blog today, for your entertainment, so head over there and watch my favorite hottie and his band. You can find even more Bon Jovi videos on this Island Records page.

As for taxes, don't worry, I'm not going to jail. We already paid our taxes. LOL I've never been a wait until April 15th kind of person. I get too nervous about that sort of stuff. Plus this year we are getting a refund for the first time in 4 years, so why wait until the last minute for that? I do procrastinate on plenty of things, believe me, but I simply don't like the idea of going to jail, so I take care of the IRS early.

If you're a US citizen, you only have 16 hours (as of this writing) to get your taxes done and postmarked! Hurry all of you procrastinators! If you're already done with your taxes or you don't live in the US, you could spend the day watching Bon Jovi videos and pretend you're at the concert with us!

A Meeting of the Blogs

2008-04-14T16:26:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned last week, we met fellow blogger BritGal Sarah this past Saturday. Our family met Sarah and her husband at Penn Square Mall in Oklahoma City. I saw a man in a cowboy hat wandering around the perimeter of our meeting point carrying a camera and I had a feeling this was Sarah's husband. Pretty soon he was joined by his lovely ex-pat British wife herself. She even wore the same shirt as in her blog photo so I would recognizer her. We quickly made our way to the Mexican restaurant at Penn Square Mall and had a wonderful meal together. Sarah and her husband were a real joy to get to know and we really seemed to get along smashingly. After our leisurely lunch we ladies headed upstairs to the mecca of makeup known as Sephora. The guys tagged along with us and tried to not look too uncomfortable. They weren't the only men hanging around waiting on their women that day.

After Sephora we parted, all too quickly but made arrangements to hopefully see them again this summer, this time in their territory out west. We are wanting to take the girls on some day trips to Western Oklahoma and plan to stop in and say a quick "cheerio" to Sarah and her husband.

We had a wonderful time! Thanks Sarah for meeting us and thanks to her husband for being brave enough to tag along and meet total strangers from the internet. Head over to Sarah's blog or Brad's blog for more details and other photos of this meeting of the blogs!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow

2008-04-11T10:46:00.002-05:00

Sing along with me - I love ya tomorrow! You're only a day away!

Guess what tomorrow is? It's the day we get to meet BritGal Sarah in person! I just love meeting fellow bloggers/online friends. We're taking the whole family and meeting Sarah and her husband tomorrow for a bit of lunch and time at the mall.

And in only 4 more tomorrows, we're going to see Bon Jovi in concert here in OKC!

5 tomorrows will bring me a new teenager to the house - Ashley will be turning 13. I'm officially old.

I could keep going on and on, but then I'd have spent all of my excitedness and that would do no good. I'll save the rest of my tomorrows for another time.

Cupcakes

2008-04-10T10:34:00.007-05:00

Have you noticed how "chic" cupcakes have become these days? I was watching Martha Stewart's show last week and it was cupcake week so she had several cupcake bakers on. I've also noticed there are a lot of cupcakes featured on blogs and websites entirely devoted to cupcakes these days. There are even cupcake charms on necklaces, bracelets, and fun things like that. It's amazing how these trends spread like wildfire.

I've also realized that cupcakes aren't just cupcakes anymore. They aren't the easy-schmeasy slap some frosting on a dry little paper-wrapped cake. These are true works of art now, with beautiful pastel frosting swirled just so and then dipped in sugar crystals that make them sparkly and dainty. If I'm not mistaken, and BritGal Sarah will have to correct me if I'm wrong, the British call them Fairy Cakes. When you see cupcakes from places like Sprinkles Cupcakes in California, that is exactly what you think about! They are just beautiful and something that a fairy would surely eat.

Cupcakes have gotten so popular that now we even have carrying cases for our cupcakes. Perhaps you like something sturdy and truly protective. You might like this:

If you're not so much of a frosting fan, you could always go old-school with one of these:

Let me leave you with one final thought about cupcakes, and then I'll let you go grab a glass of milk to wash down all of that frosting.

"Don't spit on my cupcake and tell me it's frosting." - Judge Judy

Letting Go

2008-04-09T08:50:00.009-05:00

I'm learning the art, and wisdom, of letting go, as I get older. Oh dear, that's a hard thing to do, and yet so freeing once we finally "get it".

If you've been a reader for any length of time, you probably suspect that I have too much stuff in my small house - and you'd be right. There are plenty of things here that I really don't use at all, but I thought I needed. Stacks of magazines that I keep because "someday" I'm going to use them to continue pretty journal that I started. The nice thing about the stacks of magazines is the fact that I do have my own magazine rack to keep them in. It's actually a newspaper-style magazine rack that we used to have for our business. We sold all but one, and that one I keep in my room to keep my magazines stacked on after I read them. But do I really need all of those magazines? I have no idea how many there are. I suppose I could count them and tell you but that would mean I'd have to get up out of this chair and go take the time to do so. I'm not willing to do that so just suffice it to say that I bet there are around 100 or so. Seems like overkill to me. But letting go of them hasn't happened yet.

I also realized this week that I have a lot of clothes I never wear. It might be time to de-clutter my closet and pare down to only what I love and what looks great on me. I have Tim Gunn's book waiting for me to pick up from the library today and I know Tim won't steer me wrong. I've read it before but it's time to read it again. It sounds like it's time for a fashion show parade in front of my family. I'm terrible at knowing what looks good on me but my family is good at telling me whether or not something looks okay, great or just plain awful.

I have lots of kitchen stuff I don't use either; baking pans, etc. But I've recently gone through all of my kitchen stuff and gotten rid of things that I know I will never use. I donated them to our church garage sale last month. The rest of the things I am going to keep because now that I'm home full-time, I have more time to bake and cook and actually use these things. Plus, like my books (which I am in the process of going through as well), kitchen items are my friends.

But you know what the hardest thing is to let go of? Our girls. In 7 days, Ashley will be a teenager. If you had asked me 5 or 10 years ago I would have said I'd be glad when they grow up and leave the house. It wasn't because of a lack of love, it was simply that I hadn't fully come to appreciate motherhood and all of its blessings. At that time I was so self-absorbed that all I could think about were the sacrifices. Oh, my friends, how that has changed, for the better. It's amazing what happens when we stop thinking only of ourselves, when we stop being martyrs, and we let God heal our hurting hearts. Suddenly we see things in a new light and we appreciate the fullness of our lives, rather than focusing on the empty places. Now I can't believe I've wasted all that time being selfish and only have a few years left to truly enjoy with them here. But I can't spend all of my time regretting (believe me, I've tried that a time or two as well) or I'll waste even more precious time.

As our girls have gotten older, the challenges and fears of parenthood haven't disappeared. In fact, it's a whole new set of things to be afraid of. I'm so thankful that we have such well-behaved children. I can't imagine how I'd be if we had troubled kids. Even so, it has tested the very core of my faith in God. I've had to wrestle with whether or not I fully trust that He can take care of them. He took care of me, healed the places I was hurting (still does), made me a wonderful woman and yet for some reason I struggle with whether or not He will do the same for my daughters. When you get right down to it, it's rather selfish, to think I know better than He does. LOL But I'm learning this as I go, as we all are.

I'm really enjoying being the mother of teenage daughters. Sure, we haven't hit the dating issues yet (Brad says they can start dating when they are in their 30s), and we haven't started dealing with driving and all those other teen issues. But so far, I really do like it. I love that my girls are friends of mine. My main role isn't to be their friend, it is to be their mother. But, they are my friends, too. They make life so much fun. I love being able to have intelligent conversations one time, and then laugh like a silly girl with them at other times. They really are a joy to be around (most of the time). Suddenly, I'm beginning to understand what Brad has felt about them for so long. I tend to be slow at these things, but I do eventually catch up.

But the more I love them, the harder it is to let them go into the world and make their own decisions. The world, as we all know, is a scary place, even for grown-ups. But I have learned that if I shelter them, it will be an even scarier place. So, I choose to let them go. I choose to let them make many of their own decisions and to face the consequences of their mistakes so that they learn how real life works. I know I have to let them experience heartache and disappointment on occasion in order to know that life goes on. I want them to be better-prepared for adulthood than I was. I know they'll do great. After all, they have two fabulous parents who love them (okay perhaps fabulous is a bit of an exaggeration), a God who has promised never to leave them, and on top of that they are wonderful young women, filled with intelligence and maturity (in most cases). But still, my heart aches a little (or a lot) every time I have to choose to let them go.

LETTING GO TAKES LOVE

To let go does not mean to stop caring,
it means I can't do it for someone else.
To let go is not to cut myself off,
it's the realization I can't control another.
To let go is not to enable,
but allow learning from natural consequences.
To let go is to admit powerlessness, which means
the outcome is not in my hands.
To let go is not to try to change or blame another,
it's to make the most of myself.
To let go is not to care for,
but to care about.
To let go is not to fix,
but to be supportive.
To let go is not to judge,
but to allow another to be a human being.
To let go is not to be in the middle arranging all the outcomes,
but to allow others to affect their destinies.
To let go is not to be protective,
it's to permit another to face reality.
To let go is not to deny,
but to accept.
To let go is not to nag, scold or argue,
but instead to search out my own shortcomings and correct them.
To let go is not to adjust everything to my desires,
but to take each day as it comes and cherish myself in it.
To let go is not to criticize or regulate anybody,
but to try to become what I dream I can be.
To let go is not to regret the past,
but to grow and live for the future.

To let go is to fear less and love more
Remember: The time to love is short

------ author unknown

Cloudy, Just Like The Sky

2008-04-08T09:46:00.004-05:00

It's cloudy here today. We are due for more storms today and the rest of the week. We had storms overnight last night too. I had a terrible time getting to sleep or even getting tired to begin with really.

I feel a bit cloudy today myself. I am just dealing with an overall feeling of sadness. I am realizing that it seems to come in cycles, whether related to hormones or not, I don't know, but I do notice it is about a 2 month cycle. Every 2 months or so, I deal with a really low day or week, where I just feel sort of sad and weepy and depressed. I tend to obsess about things during this time (okay, I obsess anyway but it gets worse during these down times). I know this too shall pass. I just need to work through the feelings while trying not to take things out of my precious family. So if I'm quiet for a few days, you'll know why. But who knows, I may be over it by the end of the day and be back to chatting away tomorrow.

Update: After publishing this post, I clicked on one of my favorite links to a site called "Tea Time For Your Soul" and found this week's devotional about the problem with a smooth mountain. It touched me deeply. How timely and appropriate is God's message to my soul!

Monday, Monday

2008-04-07T11:29:00.008-05:00

I can't believe it's Monday again already! Wasn't it just Monday a few days ago? I can't believe it's already April either. My goodness how time flies! I'm not sure if it's because I'm having fun, or if it's because I'm getting old. Have you noticed that time goes by quicker the older you get?

Friday night's Les Misérables musical at Edmond Santa Fe High School was phenomenal. I couldn't believe the incredible talent of the young men who played the three lead parts - Javert, Jean Valjean and Marius. The young man playing Marius is one of Sarah's good friends at school and a fellow classmate in her Spanish class. Anyway, it was really great, especially considering these were high school kids. One guy in particular is going to major in theatre in college and I have a feeling we'll see him on Broadway or some sort of theatre production before too long - he's that good. If you haven't seen any musical production of Les Misérables, I would urge you to do so. The storyline is just incredible. There is also a movie from 1998 that was done with Liam Neesom if you can't find a production of the Broadway version. And of course, you could always read the novel by Victor Hugo.

Ashley's trip to the homeless shelter was a good one. She really enjoyed serving breakfast to the people there. She mentioned that she was prepared to be a bit uncomfortable, but she ended up not feeling that way at all. She had a great time and said she would like to do something like that once a month or so. Brad and I have already decided to get the girls into some volunteer opportunities this summer. Not only will it keep them busy, but it will help them serve their fellow man and it will look good on scholarship applications in a few years.

While Ashley was at the service project, Sarah and I headed to Target so that she could buy Ashley's birthday present. Ashley's birthday is coming up soon and she will be 13! Can you believe that? I sure can't. She has decided to mimic Sarah's birthday from last year which entailed going out to eat and then hanging out at the mall with a couple of friends. Ashley's not much of an out-to-eat person, so she only wants to hang out at the mall. I can handle a birthday party like that! Easy-schmeasy, plus a good excuse for me to hang out at the mall too!

Anyway, while we were at Target, I looked for a new pair of slippers. I love my old ones, except that I often walk right out of them because they don't have a back and they've gotten all soft and smooth on the bottom. So, I searched for something with a back to it, that way I can't walk out of them anymore. Here is what I purchased for $5.99. Aren't they cute?

I was able to get tickets for Spamalot today! We've been anticipating this show for over a year now and it will be here in OKC, June 3-8 of this year. Because I'm a Magic Loyal Listener, I received an email this morning saying I can buy tickets a month before they go on sale! Can you believe the best available seats for any date were still on the lowest balcony? Something seems fishy about that because when I got tickets for Wicked last summer, I ordered the same amount of tickets after they went on sale to the public and still managed to get orchestra seating. Regardless of that, I am sure we will enjoy the show. We had to get the last available show because Sarah will probably be at youth camp that week and not get back until Saturday.

Let's see, what else is going on? I've got laundry going right now - I do my laundry on Mondays, Sarah does hers on Sundays and Ashley does hers on Thursdays. They've been doing their own laundry for quite awhile now and it certainly makes my job easier. I did my Monday Morning Home Blessings - vacuuming, dusting, sweep and mop hard floors, wipe down bathrooms, etc. I even made pretzels this morning! I've just been a busy little bee. I was done with the cleaning by 9am, just in time to sit down at the computer to get some work done. I still need to make a menu and grocery list for the week, but I have a few days worth of food before I'm desperate to go, so that can be flexible.

The girls and I cleaned out their closet on Saturday afternoon. I went to go find something I thought was stored in there and couldn't see the floor or the walls! We sorted through all of their clothes and stuff and then Ashley also went through her dresser. We now have 4 full garbage bags to take to Goodwill. Now if I can just teach myself to limit what I'm bringing into the house, we'll be doing even better!

What's on your agenda for today?

Friday Free-For-All

2008-04-04T08:44:00.020-06:00

My favorite local radio station here in Oklahoma City does what they call Friday Free-For-All where anyone can call in during the morning show and request a song. I never do, but I did steal the idea and am applying it to my blog today.

Yesterday I mentioned that I had nothing to say, and BritGal Sarah reminded me that I do have a new skin on my iPhone. I ordered it from GelaSkins. I had posted about it the other day and it came in two days ago. I'm loving it! I still carry my phone in a case on my waist but this protects it from scratches and stuff when I'm using it or lay it down somewhere. I also bought a clear screen protector for the front that is wonderful because I tend to get makeup on everything I touch to my face. Both the screen protector and GelaSkin back were very easy to put on and are repositionable. They come off cleanly with no residue. I showed you the website photos but here is my phone in "real life" with the GelaSkin protector on it. As I mentioned before, I chose Monet's painting of The Artist's Garden at Giverny. It comes with a free downloadable electronic wallpaper that matches the back.

And speaking of France, (because Monet and his garden are French) I had a great find in a thrift store this week. I'd stopped in to see what bikes they had (I've been debating getting a bike to ride to the post office rather than use gas in the car but have put that on hold since we have nowhere covered or protected to store it) and I happened to look at the books, as I always do. There on the shelf for 25¢ was a copy of A Year in Provence by Peter Mayle. I've been wanting to read this book for some time now and I knew it would be one I'd read more than once, being a Francophile and foodie as I am. I started reading it last night and already love it.
I have failed to mention that Sarah (formerly known as Hope), had her initiation ceremony for the Spanish Honor Society at school last week. They each received a certificate and lit a candle and said some sort of pledge thing about representing her country by being a friend to people from other nations, etc. I am really proud of Sarah! Here she is signing her name to the rolls, right before lighting her candle. I apologize for the bad quality of the photograph. We were in a school cafeteria with no natural light and my camera struggled to even take the photo.

Sarah and I are going this evening to her high school's performance of Les Misérables. It should be fun! Neither of us have ever seen the musical. This, in my opinion, is a good thing because when you are seeing a famous play done as a high school performance there is a tendency to compare these amateurs to well-seasoned actors.

Then tomorrow, Ashley's (formerly Joy here) junior high group from church is going to one of the downtown Oklahoma City homeless shelters to do a service project. I'm eager to hear her stories of the experience. We've always tried to keep our girls aware of those less fortunate than we are and we try to make a difference in this world.

Today, I have the day off from keywording photos for our business, but I still have a project to work on. Once I finish all that I'm able to do on that, before Brad takes over on the things I can't do, I think perhaps I'll treat myself to something like a coke from Sonic or maybe lunch out somewhere. Haven't decided yet, but that would be a nice treat.

This weekend I don't have anything particular planned. Since Ashley will be going on her service project, I think I'll stay home and give Gideon, seen here, a bath and haircut. He's starting to look a bit shaggy around the edges. I don't know what Brad has planned for himself, or for us. Last weekend we went to the Oklahoma History Museum. Take a look at photos from our Day In History at Brad's blog.

So what do you have planned for today, or this weekend?