alisnwonderland

since my last post...

2011-01-10T15:24:00.000-08:00

in my defense i tried to post a blog. twice in one day actually. and it didn't load...twice. i ran across an old friend's blog and it inspired me to post a new one and i tried. unsuccessfully. i was so compelled by her new blog because it made me think! as i read her post i just sat there and cried!!! she opened my eyes to the fact that the only time i had mentioned GOD was to say, "thank GOD for this or that!" of course i have shared stories of things that we are able to do because of God, but never had i once mentioned what we were doing to please HIM.

the new year is here and of course we ask SO VERY much of him throughout the year. THIS year i plan to see what i can do for him this year to GLORIFY HIM! it's the VERY least i can do.

since my last post he has been with Muh Man through two (hand and knee) surgeries and 4 other surgeries for family members. he has also provided a miracle in the life of my SIL and BIL. PLUS, he has protected me as i traveled over 40 thousand miles this year on very dangerous roads.

those are just the BIG things that he's done for me. that does not count the daily blessings i receive and that i am totally unworthy of. so, it's the very, very, very least i can do.

thank you stemmon's family for opening my eyes!!

Hello!!

2010-06-22T11:10:00.000-07:00

since there has been such a PUBLIC OUTCRY for me to post a new blog i thought i better get right on it!!! seriously, i have been busy and i have been busy and i have been busy.

doing what you say?

my job (thankful i have one)

my lawn (thank God for the riding lawnmower invention)

working cows (kevin gave himself a vaccination and had to have emergency surgery, story to follow)

cleaning out closets and cabinets (it only took me 6 months to complete my new years resolution)

going to the lake (it's a muddy mess but its my summer oasis)

playing with my girl (she's the sweetest)

eating popsicles (my weakness, along with wine, cheese, and donuts)

getting a new neighbor (our first and only neighbor....we live so far out we don't even have one, yet!)

sleeping, reading, eating, and exercising (a little)

so stay tuned and i will post a new blog about my man and his EMERGENCY SURGERY!!

we remember

2010-05-01T11:31:00.000-07:00

multiple times i have caught myself saying, "this world is so crazy, i am so glad i live in the country. i am so glad i live in Oklahoma," and then i remember. i will always remember. On September 11, 1995 i was walking down the hallway of my highschool in my senior year and somebody grabbed me and took me into the library and we watched the news coverage of the bombing of the Alfred P. Murrah building in downtown OKC. the bombing was unimaginable. it was unthinkable. it was shocking and tragic. it hurt so many people, it killed 168 people and it brought so many Oklahomans together.

15 years later we celebrate and remember the lives of the 168 men, women, and children who died. in remembering those individuals, each year for the last 10 years people from all across the nation join together to run or walk in the OKC Memorial Marathon. three years ago my family and i made the decision to participate in the memorial 5k. this year my girl participated in her first 5k. she was such a big girl. i was so proud of her and it was a walk i will always remember.

as we walked i kept talking to her.
i told her i was proud of her.
i told her that we were blessed to have such good health.
i told her that we have such an amazing life.
i told her we were walking because 168 others could not.
i told her i loved her.

each day is a blessing and a true gift from God. each year for as long as there is a a OKC Memorial Marathon, we will be there to remember those lost and to celebrate the life they lived, and our life!

Happy Easter.....

2010-04-03T21:29:00.000-07:00

Dont you just LOVE Easter? It's a special time of year.
Not only is it a celebration of the resurection of Jesus but also the resurection of flowers, trees, bermuda grass and......Morel Mushrooms!!!!!

It's a tradion in my family to hunt for Morel Mushrooms right around Easter. They are delicious little morsels that you find in the woods and eat. The recipe is simple. Cut in half or fourths if you have a large one and then you dip em in egg and then flour and then you DEEP FRY 'em till they are golden brown in half canola oil and half butter flavored Crisco. Sprinkle with seasoned salt and serve with baked beans and potato salad!! All I can say is YUMMO!
BUT.....here is what they lool like.

DO NOT get the wrong ones. Here's a hint....if the Red Bud Trees are not blooming it's not a Morel and if it's RED than you do not pick nor eat it or it will cause serious gastrointestinal complications and maybe even DEATH...ok maybe not DEATH but....just maybe.

We will be hunting tomorrow after church. I will post some pics of us hunting and of Master Chef Mike cooking up these delicious fungi.

The Easter Bunny just stopped by and left My Girl a goodie basket filled with a swim suit, clothes, and candy. Do you know what he also left behind? He left his tradional trail. He's done that for as long as i can remember. He starts at the bed or bedroom door and leaves a little trail of jelly beans all the way to the stash of goodies. This really is a tradition that is loved by all who wake up in our home....except me for some reason? hmmmmm.....maybe i haven't been good since i moved out on my mom and dads?!?
Here's what it looks like......

This trail goes into the livingroom where My Girl will find lots of JOY on Easter Morning!

Happy Easter....I hope your day is filled with tradition and family in celebration of the Resurection of Jesus!!!

one fine day....

2010-03-14T16:19:00.000-07:00

yesterday was sunny and 60 degrees!

IT WAS ONE FINE DAY!!!

we've been living in a snow globe for the last 3 months.
**see previous posts

but yesterday.....was a FINE day and here's how it went down.......
slept in
had a bowl of Wheaties with a banana...yummm
visited with my mother and father in law
put together My Girl's trampoline with the help of my father n law
watched My Girl jump
got to see the BIG FAT HOG that Jimmy Earl caught
(seperate post to follow)
watched UP (must see movie) in the livingroom with the windows open
took a catnap with My Man
wormed and fed the cows
took some really sweet baby calf photos
and had a yummy dinner.

and for the record.....fried cabbage is waaaay underrated

have a lil look at our fun, fine day!!

one fine day......

it was enjoyed by all....

but i bet someone shakes the snow globe again......before spring actually arrives.

ICE STORM 2010

2010-02-06T08:00:00.000-08:00

i told you that THEY were gonna name the recent storm we just went through, but seriously...as bad as this storm was............the name was a total let down!

ICE STORM 2010?
what? it should have been
Artic Blast
Winter Whiteout
heck, Winter Wipeout

anything other than just plain ol' ICE STORM 2010 would have been better!

this storm was not like ANY other storm that i have witnessed in my 33 years.

there were poles down everywhere. there were metal poles shattered. there were cross country poles down for miles. it was like a domino effect!!

almost everyone i know lost electricity and some are still without after over a week.

here are a few pictures...they do NOT do it justice.

That line across the picture on the left is an electric line covered in 3" of ice!!!

burrrrrrrrrrrrr!!!

reeeeeed riverrrrr....(singing it like the song....moon river)

2010-02-05T08:08:00.000-08:00

me: "yay, we just got back from skiing......."
people: "o cool, where'dja go!!!!"
me: "Red River"
people: "o"

me (thinking in my head): whatever snow snob!!

seriously...Red River has the same snow as all the other mountains. its fresh, cold, white and fun. BUT i guess its not as big as other mountains and parks so SOME PEOPLE aren't as enthusiastic about it as i am. but here's why i love it so, so, very much.

i love it because its small.
i love it because its where i learned to ski (sorta).
i love it because its where our kids learned to ski and snowboard.
i love it because it has some really cool OLD lifts and even a new one.
i love it because you can walk everywhere you need to go (not that i do, but i could).

i love it because it is the home of the Sundance Mexican restaurant for the last 37 years.

i love it because everytime we go back there is someone we know and knows us.

i love it becasue it feels like our town....even if it is for only 5 days a year.

and here's proof of all these reasons.....

Red River 2010

flashback to falls...past

2010-01-29T19:05:00.000-08:00

did i ever tell you how much i like fall?

i am dreaming of fall at this moment.

instead we are sitting here in the livingroom....in the light of 20 candles!

we are having a bad ice storm.
we have been out of electricity for the last 6 hours and i have heard that it may be several days before we get it back on.

when you live out in the country and you don't have an address or neighbors....your the last ones on!!

tomorrow they (the news stations or the Daily Oklahoman) will have named it.

storm names of the past....
May's Fury
Blizzard 09
**i'm drawing a blank, but it's a new one each time.

we are having a nice time and making the best of it. My Man is playing the guitar and My Girl is singing, dancing, humming, eating, and drawing. i am taking advantage of the 1 hour and 47 minutes (57%) of battery time on my laptop and my Sprint aircard.

ok......so i am thinking happier, warmer thoughts.
thoughts of fall.

look how much fun fall has been in the past!

2008

2009

warmer fun fall days!!

my how time flys when you are having fun in the fall!!

hello strangers...where ya been?

2010-01-26T21:12:00.000-08:00

hello darling,
nice to see ya,
it's been a loooong time since i held ya...
your just as lovely....as you....use to beeeeeeee........

have i ever told ya how much i LOVE Conway?

conway twitty...
i do.
his songs are important.
his songs are sexy.

and seriously....i have no idea where this is going.

i really just wanted to say i missed ya and i have lots of post headed this way.

they include:
secrets to a good roast...
make a bunny ear, and a loop and a swoop....oh yah
baby, green, blue, black...black and blue
bye bye my hard earned lbs.....
wine...whos whinning???
organization....who me???
and fall......o how i love fall....still

photos of me...ick, but whatever!

2009-12-30T21:06:00.000-08:00

i was looking at my fall pictures and realize that its over and i didn't get to share enough fall STUFF during fall. where'd it go? i miss it.

its my favorite and EXPECT to see a few fall blogs soon.

but right now i wanna talk about me. more specificly, i wanna talk about photos of me. i do not take good pictures. i MEAN i REALLY DONT! and i am not just being hard on myself.

honestly i think i am a nice looking gal. but when it comes to pics.....see for yourself.

i have squinty eyes and i have a horrible fake smile. my real one is not good but my fake one is worse.

and here i look like a deranged gorilla. granted i wasnt trying to look good but when i look bad....i look BAD to the bone.

in this self portrait i look fake, puffy and a little like eeeeyah, whats up doc?

o wait, here i look ok. why do we have to be so hard on ourselves? i ALWAYS tell my friends and family that we need to enjoy who we are right now because this may be as good as it gets. when i am 40 i know i will die to look like this in pictures.

after further review i did find a few pictures that make me feel silly and shallow for saying what i said up above.

check this out.....

and look here......not to bad even with the double chinny chin chin and belly!!

hmmm hmmmm.........this is ok too even with the poochy tummy

so anyway, i need to take some advise from my 5 year old.

"be who you are!"

she's right and i am gonna love who i am and embrace my pictures. good and bad!

i am healthy, happy and loved by God, my husband, my family and my friends.

i have a job, food, and a warm home.

i am thankful....even if i don't take good pictures.

girls will be girls......

we can't have it all, but i do have more than i deserve.

brrrrrrrrr.......

2009-12-24T11:45:00.000-08:00

well, well, well, i have been soooo busy with work and Christmas preperations that i have not had time to blog!

but now we are in a full on blizzard so i have lots of time to blog!

this happened today, in my courtyard!

and you can't see out half of our back door!

and the winds are amazing!!!!

and baby it's coooooooold out siiiiiiiiide!

i sing while i freeze tra la la! freeze tra la la! freeze tra la la!

la la!!

holiday shopping trip......gone so wrong!

2009-12-03T22:33:00.000-08:00

Yesterday i bought a Christmas tree from Woodward's Furniture Store. Tonight, my mom, my friend and i went to their annual Christmas open house. I asked the owner for the price of a Christmas tree for my mom and made mention that i had bought the tree (a display tree that was for sale) and i LOVED it! She said she knew and that she "wanted to kick my A**!" She said it sorta joking, BUT SHE DOES NOT KNOW ME AND WHO SAYS THAT TO A CUSTOMER? If she didn't want to sell it she should have told me it wasn't for sale until after the open house!!! SO, we continued to shop and found that we had our hands full! I asked if there was a place we could sit our things and they said NO. My friend had her hands full with all her large items so when she added a LARGE piece of 8 dollar greenery..she stuck it in her $850 purse, but it was hanging out at least a foot! She made her $80 purchase (including the greenery) and was followed to my car and her things were searched. She came back into the store and told me what had happened. At that point, I made the decision NOT to purchase the things i had picked out. We pulled the owner outside (not to cause a scene) and asked him to give her a refund! He said he would have to ask his wife and then went inside and left us outside. We then took the box of stuff inside (it was 34 degrees) and asked what they were going to do. It seems it's store policy for no returns on open house night items?!? After some time they were thinking about a return when they began comparing her receipt to the things i had NOT bought and found that there was a discrepancy! Of course...her receipt did not match the things I WAS going to buy! Anyway, while they were thinking about giving a refund..two things happened!!! One.....my friend's name was drawn to win a table and two....another old man was accused of "stuffing his pockets full" and he had NOTHING! So, once I pointed out that the things they were looking at were not her box and her box of things were on the floor where the owner had placed them. At that point, they didn't know what to say! THEY DID NOT SAY SORRY FOR ACCUSING HER TWICE! So, I said, "forget it, just give us her things she PURCHASED and her FREE TABLE and we will leave if you don't want to do a return?!? He said OK and we got back into the Honda Element we rode in on! Make your own decision where to shop but we will NOT be going back! I was going to buy a desk from Santa for my lil girl there....NOT NOW! The cop was embarrassed because he had to search two people who did NOTHING wrong! It would have been nice if they had let us sit our things somewhere or had offered a box for our things! I am sure it was a busy night for them but it was a horrible night for us!!!

my lovely friend. who is not a thief.......

and now that i think about it.....i think the owner was just mad at me for buying her display tree and took it out on my friend!!!!!

a picture says a thousand words..

2009-11-30T08:00:00.000-08:00

i haven't blogged in a while because quite frankly i haven't felt like it.
i feel like this gal...

it's probably because i made 4 delicious Pecan Pies.

here's the recipe......

3 eggs

1cup sugar

3Tbs butter, melted

1/2 cup dark corn syrup

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1tsp. vanilla

1Tbs flour

1- 1/2 cup chopped (not fine) pecans

here's whatcha do.....

wisk 3 eggs

mix in sugar

mix in butter

mix in dark corn syrup

mix in light corn syrup

mix in vanilla

mix in flour

add nuts and mix with a blender on low for just a few seconds

pour into a pie shell

make our own or use a premade......

here's what you get.....

*note* you have to chop up your pecans (NOT FINE) so that when you cut the pie, it will cut better! If you leave the pecans whole you CAN NOT cut a pretty piece of pie!

Dinner Club....

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-08:00

this week has been a crazy week. the week of "Dinner Club" is always a crazy week and then you add on all the extra activities of our busy life and we've got ourselves a CRAZY WEEK.

extra activities of the week include:
rearranging my book shelves and redecorating the living room.
cleaning out closets. why? nobody is going to look in the closets you say? so...
work...early morning inservives.
cleaning up the yard.
cleaning out the garage.
Thanksgiving Dinner with My Girl at her school.
ordering My Man some well deserved custom Elephant Boots for his cute lil tootsies.
making dinner menu.
shopping.
cooking.
working.....oh yay, i do have a JOB!
and just plain "Gittin Ready" for a house full of hungry friends.

why all that work for dinner club? what's dinner club?

well, for the last 7 years 7 fabulous couples have joined every other month to eat, socialize and knock back a few spirits! 14 wonderful people make up a group known as "The Tasteful Two's Dinner Club."

it's our turn, so on Saturday night we will feast on Grilled Pork Tenderloin, Holiday Stuffing, Mixed Green Salad with Cranberries, Carmelized Pecans and Asiago Cheese, Green Beans, Homemade Pecan and Apple Pie.....

a Thanksgiving Dinner with our friends whom we are so very THANKFUL to have in our life.

ps...i am also thankful that every 14 months we have a serious motivation to clean up, clean out, and redecorate.....even if it does make for one seriously CRAZY week.

carmel apples...

2009-11-19T08:19:00.000-08:00

my girl has loved apples for as long as i can remember but NOT with the peel.

but a few weeks ago, when we went to the Pumpkin Patch, the school sent along a sack lunch for the kids.

it included:
a sandwich
carrot sticks
cheese doritos
one whole apple
chocolate milk

when it was time for the apple....

i bit into it and removed a large section of the apple peel so she could get to the "meat."

after she noticed her classmates eating the peels, she tried it and do you know what?

she liked it.

she's been eating lots of apples lately so when we were at the store we bought some carmel apples.

she calls carmel..."carnbull"

here's what the taste test looked like

i love the fall. i love fall foods. i love carnbull apples.

BUT My Girl doesn't like em!! she doesn't like anything that makes her hands sticky. she gets that from her daddy.

o well, more for mommy!!!

book signing!

2009-11-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

went to see PW at her book signing. it was lots of fun. Lainie and i got in line about 5:15 (even though we were in DESPERATE need of a glass of wine) because it started at 6:30 and there were lots of people already there and we weren't sure how many people would be there. anyway we chose to just stand there and wait it out. THANK GOD WE DIDN'T GET OUT OF THE LINE. the line lasted 5 hours!!!!

in line we met a couple of gals (Lynette and Karen) and had fun visiting with them. Lynette has a blog and you should check it out! she too lives in the country and she homeschools her cute 8 1/2 year old son. check out her blog here. she was very sweet to take pictures and send them to me so that i could have pics for my blog.

we waited one hour for our turn but PW sat there for 5 hours and so graciously spoke to everyone for a bit and signed the cookbooks with a personal message. i had 7! she even asked who each person was and then she personalized each signature. LUV HER!!

so, here's how my second meeting with PW went down:

Lainie and i walked up to the table.
i pushed Lainie in front of me and peeked around her!
then PW said, "hey, I know you!"
i died.
then i said something like, "well we have met before." and she said, "where?" i told her that we had met her at the Range Round Up Rodeo. she said she never forgets a face!!

**note.....i had my eye liner permanently done 2 hours before this picture and my hair was not dirty!

then Lainie asked all sorts of brilliant questions and i just smiled and bobbed my head all goofy like...again.

Lainie asked why MM took so long to call. he had a girlfriend. he waited to call until after they broke up. she then asked PW when she was finishing their love story and she said...soon. but we'll have to buy the book. i'm buyin!

i told her that MY MAN is sure she has a crush on him and she said it was true. she signed MY BOOK and it said, "To MY MAN, Thinking of you every day!" then there were lots of hearts and her signature! the good news is that later in the evening MM signed my book too.

right above the picture of his...tail in chaps!! it say's. "the end."

the cookbook is fabulous!

so far i have had the Olive Cheese Bread, Rosemary Garlic Potatoes, and the Flat Apple Pie. all yummy and last night i made the Potato - Leek Pizza!!

make it soooooon! what? you don't have the book yet...for shame!!

there will be another book signing on Tuesday, December 15th at the Barnes and Noble on May Ave.

sadly, i can't go BECAUSE she might call the law on me for stalking her since she already remembered me! hmmmmmm......i wonder what i would look like as a brunette?

just a thought!

where's spell check????

2009-11-10T06:57:00.000-08:00

in the beginning i told you that i can not spell. http://www.milesofkate.com/ told me there was a spell check!

where?

my last post is terrible.

sorry.

i will do better!

please still love me.

i need lots of love and acceptance!

family

2009-11-06T13:28:00.000-08:00

i am just a sittin here in beautiful Tennessee and i am just soakin it all in.

we came for the wedding of two wonderful kids. seth hall and becca mccall. last night we witnessed some AMAZING young adults. who says that the kids of today are not like they used to be? these kids restoreth my hope for the future our great country. these educated, well spoken, christian kids make me proud. it made we really think about the parenting choices i make with My Girl. i am a strong believer that it all starts with good parenting...and LOTS of PRAYER.

speaking of good parents. i just have to say.....i love MY Man's parents. they are exceptional, supportive, loving, christian parents. they are people you want to immulate. i want to be MARTHA (Mimi) and My Man is so Glenn. In more ways than just a little....it seems.

as i sit here listing to some fabulous music Mimi is playing on her Bose....I am just soakin up the sweet smells of her home. it's actually the smell of Mimi. it's a combination of wood, fire (even though there is not one going), lavender and vanilla. it's almost like the smell of expensive pipe tobacco. there are plants, pictures, and color everywhere. AND there are notes. Mimi is a note girl. just looking around i see notes that i see say:

To thine own self be TRUE.
Toas N.M. red chili peppers....505.267.3226
Isaiah 65:24 Before you call, i will answer, while you are still seeking, i will hear.
A reminder to get online and get Katie a bording pass @ 2pm.
Grow old along with me! The best is yet to be.

o and there's laughter......mimi's special laughter.

i have no idea who she is talking to but BOY how she is sharing her sweet laughter with them. i always enjoy hearing Mimi laugh. it's one of my favorite things.

man, there's nothing like family. i love this family.

i gotta go get dresssed for the wedding.
i gotta go wake up two sleeping beauties!

and i am NOT taking about My Man and his Daddy!

bff update...

2009-11-02T20:13:00.000-08:00

remember my bff brandi? she did get her braces on and as i said she would....she looks beautiful with braces. she's the only girl i know that can look beautiful with braces.

remember i threatened her with posting more pictures of her if she didn't tell me something? well, she delivered and hopefully one day i can share that with you but for now i will keep it hush, hush, BUT just so you know......she is NOT pregnant with the world's 4th cutest kid on the planet. it's something else...something i will tell you...later.

i told you that she was brilliant and i meant it. she chose me as her bff right? seriously, she is a brilliant artist. she has a masters in teaching and she was an art teacher until she got a real job. now she's a momma and a homeschool teacher. she is teaching linc and berty to be brilliant too and she is still doing some painting.

last week when i went to her home i took some pictures (she does not know) and now i am posting them!! i am posting them because i am proud of her and i want you to see what i saw in her kids playroom!

if you ask her........this is a work in progress. if you ask me.......heck it looks finished!! when she does complete this art project....i will post the finished product! but for now.......take a look.

at the time i took these pictures i just took them to show My Man and My Mom but when i downloaded them i thought i am going to post these and share them with the world...or at least the 15 people who read my blog! you would think that i should ask first but heck no! i know her and she would want me to wait, but i know me and i figure she can't get too mad at me...we are BEST FRIENDS FOREVER.

i am so proud of her and a lil jealous too. i thank GOD he put her in my path...I LOVE MY BFF!

and P. S. Brandi.....if i don't get my original B. R. for Christmas.....i will be FORCED to post the picture of all pictures!!!

what can i say...i'ma gal who knows how to get what she wants...and i will do it by force or bribery.

critters.

2009-11-02T08:00:00.000-08:00

i came home late the other night.
when i got home i had to make a pitstop in the garage bathroom because i could not hold my bladder one second longer.

as i sat there (well i have to explain!!) i heard this funny sound. it was loud and at first i thought it was Sunshine, our cat. so i opened the bathroom door and looked at the side door to the garage.
IT MOVED.

and in a very short second...I WIPED and ran to the door!! i opened it and.....

hanging halfway in the screen was a large raccoon!

he had torn a hole in the screen and was coming in for some cat vittles!!!

i screamed and slammed the door.

poor raccoon. i wunder if his name was ricky? or rocky?

anyway i bet he had a serious headache! hope so, i almost had a heart attack!

on a good note...this door is circa 1968 and it has needed to be replaced since 1988. forget replacing the screen.......we are getting a new door!! whoo hooo!

me and ree....like peas and carrots!

2009-10-26T21:54:00.000-07:00

a brief history of me and ree....i mean PW, i mean PDiddy, i mean PDub, i mean http://www.thepioneerwoman.com/

cousin renee (from TN) told me about her.

i ignored her.

she told me about her again and i was like, "whatever renee....i don't have time to read a stinkin blog about a girl who lives in the country."

''hello, i live in the country! i know all about it. what could i possibly find interesting about a girl in Oklahoma who lives in the country?''

anywho, i am easily peer pressured so i began reading it and i fell in love. i fell in love with her humor, her retarded brother (again, her words not mine) and her dog Charlie.

i read (From Black Heels to Tractor Wheels) how this city girl, ex-ballerina, orthopedic surgeon's daughter, country club member, USC graduate came back to Oklahoma for a pit stop at her parents while she planned and began to execute her plan to move to Chicago to attend Law School. Then one fateful night she walked into a bar and met her future husband. a cowboy.

*note....many great loves stories come from couples who met in a bar. i too walked into a bar in OKC and met my future husband. (seee....me and ree...like peas and carrots)

who doesn't love a good love story? i do! and if you do....you should take the time to go read the love story of Ree (she and me are on a first name basis...in my world) and her Marlboro Man.

you'll enjoy the story if you take the time to read it. i read the story to My Man on a long trip to TX and he fell in love with her and he's pretty certain that she has a serious crush on him since we met her not long ago at the Range Round-Up Rodeo. Marlboro Man better watch out!!

here's how that went down:

i was looking around all wide eyed!

i was in full on stalker mode!

i couldn't concentrate on what My Man was saying and i couldn't be bothered by My Girl's need for food.

i was on a mission to get a glimpse of my new "friend."

then all of the sudden, coming down the ramp with two of her punks, there she was!
(i was singing in my head, "isn't she lovely, isn't she wonderful. all stevie wonder like)

i was like uhhhhhhhgh GASP and then for NO REASON AT ALL...i turned my head and covered my face!

yah, i know i was actin crazy. she didn't and couldn't recognize me so no need for the crazy histronics but i just got a case of the nerves or something. AND i was thinking, "just don't turn around and stare, she's right behind you!" then i heard My Man say, "Ree, you better be careful! you are just about to be stalked!" i couldn't believe my earlobes! i couldn't believe my quiet, reserved, vanilla lovin guy was talkin to her and about me. he told her WE (i love this man) were fans of her blog and we chatted for a bit. ACTUALLY they chatted and i just bobbed my head up and down and smiled a bunch like a big goof!!!!!

for the rest of the night i stared at her from across the arena and took a few pictures of her Ranch Crew, Kids, Marlboro Man and her. i was in full on stalker mode again and i couldn't believe that meeting some gal from OK that writes a blog would make me feel so silly!

anyway....she's starting her book tour today in Tulsa and then she's headed to The Full Circle Bookstore in OKC on Thursday at 6:30 to sign her brand new cookbooks.

i'll be there with Laini (my sister-n-law's sister-n-law). i told her about PW and she too has the need to get a cookbook with a signature. we are going to meet for dinner and plan the best way to stalk Ree at her book signing.

i will let you know how it goes. in the meantime, go check out her website.

a man with a plan...

2009-10-25T18:59:00.000-07:00

today i slept in BUT when i woke up

my man had a plan and i had no other option but to get up and just go along with it.

but here's the deal...

in the beginning i was a trying (but not on pupose) to be a big monkey wrench in his plan.

of course i worked BUT lemme tell ya....i did lots of complainin'

"my ears hurt! i can't work in the wind. i have an ear infection. everytime i am in the wind my ears hurt. oh, man. my back is killin me. you know my hip has been killin me. i have been nursing my hip and now i am in lots of pain. i need some ibuprophen and a FIORCET!"

o i said more, but THAT was the jist.

anyway i knew that there wasn't a thing i could do to get out of it so, in the words of Roger Miller, i just knuckled down, and buckled down so i could do it , do it, do it.....and fast. I WANTED TO GET IT OVER WITH.

ps...he said it would take an hour or two and it took all day.

so finally i shut up and got after taking down the old orange panels and helped MY MAN whenever he needed a hand.

when it started looking like we were getting "down to the short rows" we needed to run home to get the bolt cutters to remove a section of the fence.

at that point MY GIRL and i hatched a plan for a picnic. MY MAN thought we should just grab a bite to eat at home but he got overrulled by the girls 2-1.

we ran home and grabbed a blanket, cutters and a ice chest. stopped at the store for some freshly made bologna sandwiches, A&W root beers, chips and some candy.

we made it back to the farm and layed out the blanket and had the best picnic...EVER and My Man loved it.

i said, "wow, we have a great life!" My Man and My Lil Girl agreed. ALL WAS RIGHT IN OUR WORLD!!!

it's funny what a picnic with the ones you love the most can do for your attitude.

we finished our job....mostly.

and it looked great and it will help us catch the calves....A LOT EASIER!!!

a few things crossed my mind today...

hard work is good for you.
i love watching My Man work.

food tastes better when eaten outside.
fall is my favorite season.
my daughter is perfect in EVERY way.

i love candy.

i love the country.

i love my lil family
my boots are so comfortable.
the acorns my lil girl found will look great in a hurricane vase.
TODAY WAS A PERFECT DAY.

going to the chapel and their gonna get married!!

2009-10-24T08:00:00.000-07:00

seth daniel and becca macall are getting married.

we will be taking a roadtrip to TN to help them celebrate this VERY special time in their lives.

we cant wait.

the country folk are goin to the "big city" yeeeeee hawwwww!

we couldn't be more happy for this young couple.

we love seth and becca.

ps....becca and her family know Dave Ramsey (THE finanical wizard) and he MAY be at the wedding!!
if so....i will shamelessly take a pic of him and post it and some of his wisdom on my blog.

he's a busy man so if he's not....i will post some of my very own wisdom.

check back for wedding photos and somebody's wisdom!

i got nuthin!

2009-10-16T21:25:00.000-07:00

i dont have anything to say.......

SO!

when did that ever stop me!?!

today.

mark you calanders....

on 10-16-09 alison had nothing to say.......

o wait.....i said, "i don't have anything to say!"

so does that count?

:)

my beautiful bff

2009-10-11T22:56:00.000-07:00

meet my beautiful bff....
i call her b. for brandi....BUT

(her with the pretty teeth and me with the tiny Chicklet teeth)

there are several b words that describe her...

beautiful
brilliant
(2 more that have to stay just between bff's)
and....the new big one.....BRACES.

she gets them on today...... God bless her big beautiful ~~teeth~~ heart!!

i know what your saying...her? that beautiful girl with the big pretty smile and those perfect teeth? she needs braces?

apparently she needs braces and ORTHOGNASTHIC (what the heck is that) surgery to follow.

she has been saying that she is going into hiding for 15-18 months.

whatever.....i am going to work like a sled dog trying to get her out of hiding.....

how can she resist free dinners and drinks and movies?
(New Moon will be on the big screen soon).........

but here's the deal....this VERY pretty girl has no reason to to hide....EVER!

here she is at the lake.....
(she may drop one of the F's in BFF for this)

that's one HOT tamale!!!

and this woman has birthed 2 of the worlds most beautiful children....

lincoln and liberty, link and berti

see for yourself

i love these lil cats!

so anyway i just wanted to point out (in a very public way) that when you are are girl who's so very beautiful on the inside as well as the outside.....YOU DONT GO INTO HIDING!

what's she going to do?

wear a hat and hide at home with her handsome homebody hottie, daniel..like this...

i mean ....NOT that i would blame her by any stretch!!

but come on.........

IT'S GOING TO BE OK B! YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL AND I KNOW YOU WILL BE EVEN MORE BEAUTIFUL ONCE THE TORCHER IS OVER!!

(can that even be possible?)

i've loved you without 'em, i will love you with 'em and i will love you without 'em again....

let the braces begin.

amen.

and p.s. brandi....if you don't tell me what i have been wanting to know....i have more pics that i WILL post. i am giving you 1 week and 2 days (for recovery) from today to give up the goods! this is your official notice!

you live in the country?

2009-10-08T09:23:00.001-07:00

i told you that i would tell you all about living in the country...

but i haven't really because there's not much going on right now.

we will be catching calves soon to take to the sale.

i am in serious prayer about it right now. i am praying it's not as hard as it was last year!

it took us 10 (ok 5) trips to the sale. it should take two. in a perfect world we would catch the calves from our home place and haul them to the sale on one day and then catch the calves from our other farm on the second day.

the problem is.....the calves at the OTHER farm are crazy as "all get out!"
ANYWAY..thats coming up and it's always like a rodeo so look forward to some fun pictures.

if i can get a picture of MY MAN giving me that look i will post it! it's a look that says, "ALISON are you KIDDING me? We are trying to catch cows and YOU are taking pictures? uhhhhhhhhh!"

for now i will just post a picture of my new car that i love so much! it's not really what you expect to see on the farm but it's mine and i am determined to make it feel at home on the farm. i ordered a sticker with our brand on it today! i will brand that baby and she will forever be a part of the WF "ranch!"

apparently she will be a part of the WF for a long while. my man told me that when i am finished driving her..."i'm gonna take the seats out of the back and use this ride for a feed truck!"

and....he's serious. yep....we live in the country!!

my favorite things...

2009-10-07T15:32:00.000-07:00

the pioneer woman gave her list of favorite beauty products last week.

i love her but...what the heck?

mine are better and here they are in no particular order....

Aquaphor Ointment made by Eucerin

this stuff is THE ultimate all purpose must have.

use it for chapped lips, cheeks (both sets), scratches, burns....and dry skin patches.
i would also suggest this for those of YOU with badly cracked heels. glop it on and cover with socks!!!

i also love Eucerin body lotion. fragrance free and not sticky!

this is my new favorite beauty product.......no other compares......

Avon's WATERPROOF Glimmersticks Eye Liner
*note - this is just a picture....don't use blue eye liner......ever. "Just because they sell it doesn't mean you should use it." i suggest the black!

this week i suggested this to PW and also to my friend Kim who is getting married on the beach. it doesn't run or smudge and it goes on smooooth!

getcha an Avon gal and getcha some!

Clinique has the best face scrub.

Exfoliating Scrub
it's like a mini peel and it leaves your skin feeling clean and refreshed.
luv it! stock up during bonus week....like i do

speaking of Clinique.....they also make my favorite lipstick.

nude beach.

i have NEVER been to one.
don't suggest it, but i do think this lipstick is a MUST!! it's the perfect neutral color!!

and lotion....Niven Morgan, Gold is the BEST lotion.

well, i am not sure it does much moisturizing BUT it smells fabulous!!

so, everyone has their favorite beauty products.....in their tackle boxes/caboodles/makeup bag/purse!

i've told you mine, now tell me yours!!

ps...i need a new shampoo and face powder (i'm oily)....any suggestions?

box cars....

2009-10-06T11:35:00.000-07:00

today when i was driving my new ride....

i passed the UPS guy.....

i felt we had a special connection......

i am not SURE what it was......

i sure love my car......

beep beep!

surgery...it's in the air...

2009-10-06T06:47:00.000-07:00

meet my lil cousin Kehley (kay lee) Rae!

actually it Jennifer Kehley.

she's my favorite lil cousin.

and i love her but she is stubborn. BUT i LOVE her.

she came to OK for Labor Day Weekend and went running with us. in the middle of the run she had to stop and walk. she had recently been in a walking boot but had been back to working out for a while.

i have the little hip problem so i was jog/walking myself. i went to her and said, "why don't you stay here and i will go get the four wheeler and pick you up!" she said, "NO, i am fine." and now the doctor has scheduled her for surgery. it's next week. she is having ligament surgery in her foot. i don't know all the details but i do know i should have picked her up and not listened to her because i am older and smarter and she is stubborn. i know it and she knows it....and now you know it.

please keep this precious girl in your thoughts one week from today. please take a minute or two to lift her up in prayer.

oh Kehley Rae...how do i love thee.....let me count thy ways!!!

i love thee because you're stubborn.
i love thee because you think i'm cool.
i love thee because you are so very thoughtful.
i love thee because you think i am cool.

and in another week our Katie is having surgery.
it's not a huge surgery, but it is surgery.
apparently she has a little infected cyst in her tummy that has to come out.
on the 23rd of October please lift my Katie up in prayer.

on the bright side...she will have a matching scar with her daddy. he likes to say it's from that time he was in a knife fight in an alley down in Mexico. i am not sure that will work for Katie but surely we can come up with something good......

good luck girls....i love you two knuckle heads!

success and failures

2009-10-04T11:37:00.000-07:00

remember i said i was gonna get serious and get in shape?

i said it.

i meant it.

i have lost 6 lbs in one week.

.....but now i am sick and i want brownies.

i mean it.

i want them so very bad and i think i am gonna be bad.

i need soup but i think i am making brownies.

i thought that if i blogged about it i may see the light and resist.

nope.

going to make brownies...its just one of those days!!

pics and recipe to follow!

recipe update........Duncan Hines Chewy Brownies....why mess with a tried and true recipe!!!
picture.......a little blurry....all the sugar had my lil girl amped up......

going camping...again!

2009-10-03T16:59:00.000-07:00

well....it seems that Natailie has changed her mind about purchasing Inga, our airstream.

and i am OK with that.

it hit me on Thursday that i had turned a claim into my insurance company for my roof but had not even thought of the hail damage done to the Airstream from the horrible storm we had in April.

April you say? i know...i am a little slow sometimes.

i made a claim on Friday and i think they are going to pay us for the damage on poor Inga. so we are gonna keep her for a while and we are happy about it.

my lil girl is EXTREMELY happy about it, as fall break is coming and she wants to go campin!

i am just thinking about all the work it took to clean out the airstream and the fact that yesterday i sold (at our garage sale) almost everything we had accumulated for campin'. o...........well.

i PLAN on adding only the essential items this time.......we shall see how that goes. (smile)

so sometimes things just work out the way they are supposed to work out!

on another note.....i DID sell the Tahoe and put MY MAN on a plane to Teennessee to see his parents, sister and her entire gang..........and to pick up my new ride!

i love it. isn't it cute? what? it looks like a box you say? SO! i like boxes. i HAVE to have a car to hold lots of little boxes (of medical equipment). so.....its PERFECT!

i can't wait for him to get home. we miss him and i have the flu (self diagnosed) and i need someone to bring me ice cream and ibuprophen.

what a weekend!!

sold!!

2009-09-30T17:45:00.000-07:00

i have a confession.

i forgot the name of our Airstream.

today it hit me that i called her the wrong name.

her name in Inga. it's a close second to Bertha but it's not Inga.

i named her that because she's a big boned gal (not unlike myself). she's big and round and Inga seemed to fit. so does Bertha. ANYWAY as i said in my previous post.....i thought that the lady that came to see her fell in LOVE and i was right.

she called today and made me an offer we couldn't refuse.

seriously....i refuse to let her hang out on my driveway one more day.

ANYWAY, Natalie, the new owner is coming to pick her up, so
i gotta clean her up and clear out 3 years of camping (8 trips all together) supplies.

we enjoyed owning an airstream.

we were going to enjoy celebrating our 9th Anniversary camping, cooking on those wonderful gas burners, hiking, and kicking back.

BUT Natalie is bringing cash tomorrow! so hellllllooooooooo Skirvin Hotel!!

goodbye Inga.
it was great knowing you ol gal!!
(tiny tear in my eye)

airstream

2009-09-30T17:00:00.000-07:00

meet Bertha.

she's for sale.

lots of people have called with questions.

the questions are always a little strange.

here's how the ad on Craigslist reads.

31ft. Sovereign Land Yacht
$$$$.$$ (price)
skin (silver shell) in good condition
rear bedroom
cold AC
everything works
husband doesn't want to camp anymore
taking back our driveway
we've had lots of fun with this camper and now it's your turn

here are the questions....

how long is the camper?
how much do you have it priced at?
how's the skin?
does this camper have a rear bath?
so, does everything work?

ok. seriously?

i don't get it. everytime those questions came up i thought that they were trick questions.

anyway. she is for sale. i have enjoyed owning her and heck, at this rate....i may own her forever and ever.

the good news is that i LOVE her.

i have loved her from the day i met her in Alex (it's pronounced with a C).

i have loved spending the night with her and most importantly....

i love her gas stove.

i have even thought about going outside (on the driveway) and cooking dinner just so that i could use those wonderful burners.

anyway...a lady came to meet her yesterday and i am ALMOST scared she fell in love with her too.

if she buys her.......i may ask for visitation rights.

oh Bertha, how will we cope with not seeing you in our driveway each and every day for the rest of our lives.

oh Bertha, how will we cope with having to see you in our driveway each and every day for the rest of our lives.

county fairs...part II

2009-09-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

the fair is fun.

i LOVE fairs and carnivals.

i love the sicky, sticky, sweet smell of cotton candy and cooking grease from all the fried foods.

i love the sound of kids screaming and the hummm of generators.

i love seeing the smile on my lil girl's face when she's at the fair.

i like watching her ride (walking in a cirlce) the ponies like it's her first time...EVER to be on a horse. even though she has ol Popcorn at home that she rides all by herself.

but she liked Sassy Girl. probably because Sassy Girl has short legs like her momma. :)

i like seeing her be couragious and brave and try new things.

like this big slide. the Titanic.

she zoomed down the slide and went back for more...over and over and over and over again.

this kiddiepillar was lots of fun. lots of fun surprises inside to play on and the generators blow hard through that tunnel so it's also a wind tunnel. when they come out the end...it looks a lil strange. a little like childbirth. (i am just sayin) it does.

she even tried the Sponge Bob swing (she was bored) and the Moon Bounce (bored).

then we took a break from the rides and got a sweet tea.

then she talked me into this cat face. it was cute face art but NOTHING like the face painting my BFF Brandi Michelle can create. (BFF stories coming to a blog near you...soon)

anyway...a trip to the fair is always a great way to spend a BEAUTIFUL fall day in September. any day is a great day to be at the fair.

i love the fair.

my lil girl is the 2009, 5 year old county tractor pull champion at our county fair this year.
she also received blue and red ribbons on her art exhibit entries.

i will always go to the fair.

i will be a volunteer at the county fair when i am old.

my BFF (she's a fair lover herself) will probably have to drag me out each year....like these ladies.
and.....we will probably have rears like these too.

it will come from many years of enjoying fairs and their cotton candy and fried foods.

o how i love the fair! it's a love-a-fair!

county fairs......part I

2009-09-27T19:43:00.000-07:00

took my lil girl to a county fair today.

we had fun.

we saw stuff that is typical at county fairs.

and we saw stuff i've never seen before and that i'm sure i don't wanna see again.

we were walking through this group of people when all the sudden a woman carring a goose pushed through the crowd saying......excuuuuussee me!!

she then drops this goose in a cage that had 100 numbers on the bottom of the cage.

in my mind i was thinking they were waiting for it to lay a GOLDEN egg.

then i turned to the lady next to me and said, "so...what's goin on? what's the duck doin in the cage?"
(at this point a big burly guy in a tank top and a mullet (i swear) yells out, "you might be a redneck if.........!")

"well, she said, we are waitin to see what number the duck poops on. we paid 5 dollars for a square and there's 100 squares. the winner gets $250 bucks. then they "drawd" numbers and i got number 19. i really don't have a chance but it sure is fun to watch."

fun? really?
i didn't think so....so we just walked away.

i have no idea who won. it looked like it was going to take a while.

that poor duck had stage fright.

so would i.

when i got home i found out that they do the same little "goose and poop" game with cows and cowpies on a field. kev told me.

i told you my husband was smart. apparently he's all "learned" when it comes to gambling poop games.

how did i not know that?

you'd think a farm girl would know that!

o well, now i know.

now you know....................

livin like it's 1899! or at least not 2009.

2009-09-23T20:45:00.000-07:00

for the last 11 years my husband has wanted the world to "come off its wheels." he only says that because he has some serious need to go back to the old ways of living.

he wants to live off the land. i almost think i would like it too....BUT.......

he wants me to grow a garden (i have and i do it well). he wants me to can and preserve my bounty (i have and i do it well). he wants me to milk a cow (i can do it). he wants me to wash clothes (i do lots of that). BUT....without electricity? what?

no electricity? no garden growing, canning, milking, or clean clothes! "but kev, we HAVE to have electricity!!"

"well we could have electricity, but where we gonna get 1200 dollars and thats if we just use it a little?" "uh duh kev, we like sell a cow or two?!"

(BTW, that's always my answer. we need money for vacation? we need to pay for the kids college? we need to have work done on the farm? we need to do blah, blah, blah.....sell a cow. WHEW! thankfully he doesn't listen to me. we wouldn't have any cows left on our farms.)

ok, back to muh story......

so he brings this up from time to time and he even gives it some thought. he goes through the "how" we would make it work from every angle. and i am like uh huh and yes because although i think it would sorta be cool and i am pretty sure that we could do it and probably do it well....its NEVER going to happen.

anyway, tonight he stumbled accross this show on National Geographic called Alone in the Wild. its pretty cool. i am enjoying it. so is he, but i know he's thinking he could do it better. "dead eye" as his grandpa Paul Williams called him could deliver on the hunting. he's not really scared of bears, it seems, so i know he would totally enjoy trading places at the farmer's co-op with the fellow who's scared almost to death out there in the Yukon!

so as he watched this show tonight he began his grand plan....hmmmmmmm. it sounded nice, but i just said, "well lets think about it some more and write out a plan."

he said we would never do it because we'd be to scared to totally let go of our current day to day! i am mainly just scared of not being able to get nice sharp razors. these legs grow forrests and for that reason alone...i am not sure it will ever happen.

wait.....we will need lots of razors? we could just sell a cow?! :) we could totally do it.........

i will let you know.

p.s i love this man! did i say that yet?!?

questions and answers!

2009-09-21T20:44:00.000-07:00

i just downloaded the pics from our road trip to College Station.

i told you we were going. we did. we had tons of fun. i took lots of pictures.

i was trying to think of something funny or a lil story but really....i got nothin! Zilch, Zip, Notta!

i do have some questions....here they go...

how did this boy get so big so fast?

what are the chances that this one will go to college?

is there anything better than a seeing the love between a father and daughter?

will this man, Mike Sherman, lead the aggies into a winning era?

in college football......what's better than when 80,000 aggies unite?

don't you think i need one of these for my backporch?

do you think it's safe to sleep while driving?

answers:

age.....it just happens!

she'll probably go to college but they will make fun of her if she continues to pick her nose!

dads (especially this one) loves his three girls.

that coach better coach 'em to MANY wins or it's bye bye birdie for his tail...feathers.

when they cheer their aggies to a win!!!

of course you need an A&M fire pit....hello...dumb question!

anythings better than ali having to drive.... a man needs his rest....ooooooppsss....i mean.......................OF COURSE NOT!!!!!

the end.

until the Texas A&M Aggies take on the Oklahoma Aggies (OSU).

Happy Birthday Martha!

2009-09-18T07:00:00.000-07:00

i love my mother-in-law!

i am not even saying that because she reads my blog.

i am saying that because it's true and because i am truely thankful.

i am thankful for our relationship and for her love and friendship.

i am saying that because i realize that i am in the "i love my mother-in-law minority."

i am saying that God broke the mold after he made Martha.

she's a wonderful WIFE, MOM, MIMI, and Mother-in-Law.

she takes all those titles seriously and she is the best a person can be at all four.

she's a Christian, she loves her neighbor as she loves herself......she's selfless.

she's sweet, she's thougthful, she's kind, she's loving, she's smart and she's a country girl at heart!

AND she's celebrating a Birthday today!

happy 60th (it's the new 70) Martha!

love, ali

P.S. she's so special they named a town after her in Oklahoma!

*not really, but if "the town naming people" met her they surely would!

1 mile South of Blair, Oklahoma in Southwest Oklahoma

no followers? no problem!

2009-09-17T18:43:00.000-07:00

seriously, it will take so much more than only having two followers (i love you two) to make me give up this new found blogging fun!

are you kidding me? i am a married woman! i am used to not being listened to! my sweet, sweet, SMART husband is good at throwing out uh huh and yes when i'm talking and he's not listening!

GAWD i sure like to blog and GAWD i love my man!

this man.........

College Football Road Trip!

2009-09-15T16:36:00.000-07:00

did someone say FREE Texas A&M football tickets? well yes, yes they did! and we said, "yes! we'll take em!" so this Saturday we are loadin up the Tahoe and headin to College Station, Texas to see the Fightin Texas Aggies take on the Utah State Aggies! OH, and we get to see our Texas babies!

These two. Katie and Luke!

"But Alison, why are you a fan of Texas A&M? you live in Oklahoma?!"

i'm a Texas Aggie fan because the man i love, the man who has those two in the picture, Maci's daddy, is a PROUD graduate of Texas A&M University!

"But Alison, why did Kevin go to school at Texas A&M?"

Kevin went to school there because his daddy earned his doctorate from A&M.

and heck, they accepted him so he went.

here's a picture of kev's daddy. Dr. Namon Glenn W!
fancy name huh?

and also Maci Anne with her Mimi, Martha Anne W!
fancy name huh? :)

so now you know our A-G-G-I-E history! we sure hope to have another Texas A&M graduate some day. Luke Aaron is now attending Blinn College in College Station and living with his cousin Jacob who is attending A&M now! we look forward to the day Luke transfers schools and we get to DONATE to A&M!

so tune in and look for us on tv!
we'll be the ones in Aggie Maroon and White!

Gig 'em Aggies!

"you can run, but you can't hide!"

2009-09-13T14:16:00.000-07:00

how long has it been since you've had a pillow fight? i bet it has been too long. i know that it had been too long since i had found myself in a real deal, fight til the finish, pillow fight!

Maci and i had one of these on Saturday and i laughed so very hard. i laughed so hard i had to hold my sides to breath and i had to run for a potty break (i'm just sayin)! NOW THAT'S A FIGHT!!!

it started in my bedroom. on the bed that i had JUST made. she ran in there and popped up on the bed and grabbed a pillow and hit me. pop! i grabbed one and took a few light shots at her and then i realized that she meant business so i gave her a nice POP in the head and ran.....

she came running after me, screaming, "you can run but you can't hide!" i doubled back through the bathroom and squeezed up against the wall and got VERY quiet. as she came through...i gave her a good smack! POP! the fight was on. we moved to the livingroom and used all the pillows on the couch!

then i remembered that i should take pictures of all this fun, so i called break and ran outside to get my camera from the car. as i came through the front door she gave me a nice hard POP!

we continued our fight in the livingroom and finally quit when i got tired and decided to fall to the ground in.....surrender! as she stood above me...all 42" of her....she took many, many more shots at my head and then all the sudden.....she stopped. she leaned down and in a moment of excitement and i don't know what else.........SHE BIT my ear!! Game over!!

might i suggest a pillow fight or some other childhood game that makes you laugh until your sides hurt. until you can't breath.

POP!

make this today!

2009-09-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

it has rained all weekend long. i thank the Lord that it has rained all weekend long. we need rain. we need lots of rain and we are thankful for every drop. i like rain. i like to be indoors with the windows open so that i can hear the sweet sound of rain and smell the musty smell of the earth being drenched by rain.

i did lots of laundry this weekend and i made my NEW favorite chili.

a few weeks back i was at the grocery store, after work, and i was starving to death. i bought enough food to feed two families for two weeks. it took me forever to get out of there and when i realized i wasn't going to have much time to cook dinner (is it Dinner or Supper?) i ran down the isle to grab some taco seasoning so that i could throw together some tacos. as i grabbed for the seasoning i noticed a package i had never seen. it was this package........

McCormick's White Chicken Chili Mix

it's my new favorite packaged dinner helper! it's delcious! i cant believe i waited so long to try this recipe! it has a definite mexican flavor, so i went with the package suggestion and added cilantro and for white beans i used Garbonza beans. i added one can of corn, fresh garlic, salt and pepper. i garnished with avacado slices and grated cheedar cheese.

next time i may throw in a can of blackbeans.

serve it with Jiffy cornbread. try it today. serve it at a party or take a big pot of this to work to get on the good side of your boss and those pesky co-wokers!! shhhhh.......don't tell them you cheated..........just a little.

blackberry pickin party!

2009-09-12T14:21:00.000-07:00

MY MY..........Blackberry Pie!!

last month i held my first Blackberry Pickin Party. it was a fun way to spend a HOT August, Monday evening!! we met up at the house and had a some yummy appetizers and some refreshing wine....all in the name of preperation (for the squelching heat, humidity and swarming bugs) !! we had lots of yummy food but there was one appetizer that was simply delicious!! i feel it is my duty as a fellow American to pass this recipe on so that everyone in the world can be happy!

Pepperoni Pizza Dip

2 8oz pkg. cream cheese
1 12oz pkg. sliced Pepperoni (chopped fine)
1 1/2 cup grated Mozarella Cheese
1/4 cup Mayo
3/4 cup finely chopped green bell pepper
1/4 cup finely chopped onion
garlic
salt
pepper
jalepeno pepper chopped (optional)
chopped black olives (optional)

*mix everything together and place in a shallow pan. cover with foil. bake 30 mins at 350 degrees. uncover and sprinkle with dried oregano and bake until lightly browned on top. serve with crackers and/or celery sticks.

delicious.....take this to your next party or eat the whole thing by yourself with a spoon.

ok...back to the blackberry picking. next year i will send out a dress code in the invitation. it will include jeans, long sleeve shirt, and boots. it will not include long beautiful skirts or high heel boots! neither of those worked too well in the tangled thorns of our blackberry patch.

we had lots of fun. everyone picked enough berries to make a pie. my pie. my, MY MY.....Blackberry Pie! (SEE PICTURE ABOVE) i am not sure how many did make my pie, but here is the recipe in the event you find yourself with some blackberies and a "hankerin" for yummo delicious pie!!

My My.........Blackberry Pie

3 cups blackberries
2 cups sugar
3 tbs. corn starch
1/2 stick of butter
2 pre-made 8" pie crusts (bought or homemade)
lemon juice (fresh squeezed from 1/2 a lemon)
sprinke of cinniamon

sugar, cinnamon , and cornstarch. sprinkle over berries, squeeze lemon and mix well. let sit. place one crust in 8" pie pan and add fruit mixture. cut the stick of butter into little pads and place all around pie. sprinkle with a tiny bit more cinnamon. place second crust over the top. pinch edges and cut a pattern into the top of the pie for venting. lightly brush the crust with water and sprinkle sugar on the crust. cover with foil. bake 45 mins at 350 and remove foil. bake until golden brown and fruit is bubbling.

mmm, mmm good!

my body is NOT a wonderland!!

2009-09-09T22:01:00.000-07:00

who can resist the sweet, sweet sound of John Mayer's voice and his MAD guitar skills? raise your hand! anyone? anyone? i didn't think so. today i was thinking about lunch, my blog and lunch and this song, "your body is a wonderland" popped into my head and it made me think! hmmmmmmm...not mine. and isn't it funny (or sad) how we just make so many excuses for ourselves? i have have birthed a child, i have a job, i have to cook dinner, i am tired, i have a hurt hip, i just like to cook and eat!!! i have said them all and usually all in one day. BUT i am putting a stop to all the nonsense. it's over rover. i am a woman on a mission to get healthy and to stay healthy. i am not talking about the lbs. (but i better loose some) i am talking about doing something and sticking with it. i am talking about pounding the pavement (ok gravel) rain or shine. tonight i ran in the rain and it was amazing!!! it takes such little time and i always feel better about my myself...minus horizonal stripes!!

over Labor Day weekend we had company in town. ok not really company....family. those PYT's got me all motivated to get moving. i actually said, "i can't run because of my hip!" oh my gosh i felt old!! then i strapped on my IPOD shuffle and started running....ok jogging. and it was the first time i had ran anywhere other than to the fridge since April when i managed to run....ok jog a 5K.
my girl Katie is training for a marathon. first a half and then a full. my girl Kehley broke her foot recently and she's already back to running and exercising. my girl Maci is 5 and she can almost run a mile. my hunk of husband is running 4 miles and he's...old(and hot)!! haha. so from this point on....i will post my miles. i will not EVER be a runner. i like my 1 mile. i plan on getting up to 2 miles but i am not in any hurry. this is IN NO WAY A RUNNING BLOG. it's just a way to keep me honest. so please, feel free to REMIND me.

i think i will add that song to my IPOD now.......

"alison...your life is not typical...what we did yesterday is not typical."

2009-09-08T20:16:00.000-07:00

how did i get here? i said i wouldn't be here! i already said that i said that i wouldn't be telling people all about my life but it seems that it was a natural progression. several months ago my cousin Renee told me about the pioneer woman. i wasn't really interested but then she was talking about how this girl, Ree, was married to a cowboy and how wonderful her recipes were and how she lives in Oklahoma! it took me a while, but i did go look and do you know what i did? i feel in love. i fell in love with her humor, her dog Charlie and her retarded brother (her words not mine). i told all of my friends and made them read all about my new friend PW. i MADE my Katie read it. i turned on her computer and MADE her read! seriously, i held a banana to her head (not really). she too fell in love and was inspired to create her own blog. She said i should start a blog myself and i said, "really? what the heck would I write about?" she said i need should write about the things that are important to me. she said to have a purpose (ha) and write about it. i gave it some thought and thought, "why the heck not?" all in one day we had the conversation and alisnwonderland was started!
the next day, i was so happy to tell her what i had done. she read it and said she LOVED it. she said that my page should be whimsical and i said, "i am not sure how my life will look in "whimsical." i am trying to figure out how the things that happen in my life will be displayed in a blog. i am a farm girl. i (along with my husband and daughter) raise a few beef cows. we have 3 chickens (children) and i cant wait to tell stories about them!!

Katie said today, "alison...your life is not typical....what we did yesterday is not typical." we helped Kevin take our bulls off of our momma cows so that the bulls can always do their business in a set breeding season!! IT'S JUST WHAT YOU DO, and depending on who you are......it may be typical. if it is not then i cant wait to share some of our lil ranching stories. sometimes you'll learn something and sometimes you with just plain say, "YUCK!" To my new blogging friend PW this is typical, but what is not typical is how all in a few months...i read my first blog, met the blogger herself (story to come) and started my own. Here we go.......

disclaimer: beware of rabbit WHOLES!!!!!

2009-09-07T08:16:00.000-07:00

i cannot be held responsible for my spelling! i am bad, horrible bad! i am a few credit hours from having a minor in english but not in spelling english! if i had a penny for everytime i asked. "how do you spell...something" i would be RICH. i actually asked kevin (my hunk of a smart husband) how to spell COLLEGE! the funny thing was....he had to think about it too. good ol Texas A&M and USAO deserved every penty (ha)! also, i am choosing to not use capitolization when it's appropriate and i will also start sentences with AND, BUT and many other inappropriate words. i almost changed my mind about this blogging thing when i noticed there is no SPELL CHECK but then i had a serious thought......do we spell check our lives? how much editing do we do for the benefit of others? i am going to try to do only what is appropriate to SAY what i want to SAY in my entries but leave my thoughts as true to form as possible. this should be fun....for me at least and hopefully you will enjoy my daily musings. maybe you will laugh. maybe you will learn something. maybe you will post a comment and SAY something to me....beware of rabbit Wholes...you never know where they may lead........