play dough

During our recent Thanksgiving Break, it's always my task to get up the decorations so that they're up and done with, and we can sit back and enjoy the Thanksgiving break with all the Decor done. BUT in the middle of all of the decoration boxes, and chaos, Baby Girl, wanted to make play dough. She loves play dough, it's her favorite toy in the world. AND wants me to purchase Kool-aid everytime we are in the store so that she can have some scented playdough.

She had to have us completely stop what we were doing to make the play dough, and I thought it might keep her occupied during my decoration mess. BUT I didn't have any of the magic ingredient, Kool-aid. Karlie had recently found a recipe for Jello playdough, so we thought we would give it a try. We had jello and the rest of the ingredients so we tried it out.

 I love my cookbook, the computer...

 mix the ingredients.

 add salt.

 Yep, you can add the jello.

 Stir it up

 Cook it up till it firms up 

Let it cool for 30 mins...

This jello playdough, smelled nice and had a great color, but it seemed to stick to us and make a mess. I might try it one more time, before totally giving up on the jello version of the recipe. I do like the vivid color it makes the dough. BUT we don't like how it sticks to us.

Thanksgiving holidays were too short, but Christmas is coming...

This Baby Boy  was home for a few days over Thanksgiving Holidays. He headed back for the last couple of weeks of the semester at Belmont. Just a few concerts, and exams, and  such and then he heads back home for Christmas. We actually head to see him in a Christmas concert too. Lots always happen this time of year...I'm glad that we are coming up on another break, because family time is the best time in the world.

Seventeen Candles

 Karlie's birthday is the last birthday celebration  of the year. The last birthday celebration, that is, before we celebrate Jesus's birthday. We ordered her cake from publix and her name was spelled wrong,  the R  was left out. The baker on hand tried to fix it, but it really looked worse....oh well, it still tasted good.

 And in spite of a misspelled name on a cake, Karlie said that this was her best birthday yet. I have always been partial to seventeen too, because after all, I am still 17.

 Some little body was impatient for cake and ice cream...and decided to make her own party hat.

 Karlie loved the Eiffel tower for her Paris room that Gam and Pop gave her.

 And the monogram that they  made will look awesome on her wall.

 She loved the jewelry from Caylene...and the money from Honey, Gam, Pop and Granddaddy Wayne.

 She was expecting the Naked Palate of Eyeshadow, but she was not expecting the Iphone. It was a last minute add on from Dear ole Dad. And when she opened it up, it looked just like Zach's and she thought we had wrapped his up for a joke. It does sound like something we would do. Just ask Zach about the Guitar pedal photo that he got for Christamas one year. It  had a note attached saying from Santa, but it was scribbled so quickly that it looked like it said from Satan....Oh how, he's not let us forget that typo. Oh well, I digress.

It was a great Birthday Celebration with the family ...Jolie just says, 

"Show me the Cake!"

Fan Pack Jack Pot

Last year, Shek and I did unit study on of all things Baseball. One of the activities was to write various Baseball teams and request a fan pack. I was excited to find an activity that he was all in about doing. He learned to write and address letters, and he also learned to politely ask for a fan pack.Who would have thought that a year later, he's still writing those fan pack letters. Every day he makes a mad dash to the mailbox and usually once or twice a week he receives a little something from some team. He has since branched out to ask all kinds of major sports teams. He recently started asking hockey teams. AND this week he hit the jack pot.

He rushed to check the mail, and when he panted into the house to show me I knew that this must be something special. He was out of breath, and couldn't get the envelope open. Finally, we got a small whole in the side of the envelope and he peered inside. 

"I knew it, I could feel a puck inside!" He exclaimed.

He received a sticker, a poster, a photograph, and a PUCK! I am sure this jackpot of a fan pack will continue his drive to write asking for fanpacks. Wonder who he will write next.

Undefeated!

Soccer Season is done for another year. One of the moms on the team was gracious to take zillions of photos and share them with all of team. So I will share some of her action shots that she captured through out the season.

Shek plays on a local church league, where the score is not officially taken. The coach said to the team, Even though we really didn't keep score, it was nice to be UNDEFEATED!

Team Revolution~Undefeated Season, but who's counting!

Zach sings

Earlier this week The Pops Group at Z's school gave a concert. We didn't get to go, but Gam and Pop did. He even had a little solo, but I got to see it; Gam recorded it. Today I snagged some photos from  the school's site.

Zach singing....can't ya hear him?

A little fall fashion

My girl is into  the fashion. I do believe she could be a host on what not to wear? I can tell ya hey, don't wear that, but she can actually put something together that will make you look good and accentuate your positives. ME, I just simply say, "Man! Those people need a full length mirror!" or is that a comment that I hear my  Honey say all the time. LOL

This past Sunday evening she was in the fall fashion show with the other Pure Fashion girls. They are all about being hip and cute, and as Karlie likes to say, "without hanging it all out!"

So I took my camera, and would you believe, I didn't get great photos, I am hoping to snag some off the purefashion facebook page.

This is the outfit she modeled. The first fashion show is fall fashions from your own closet. This was her choice and it made all the modesty guidelines.

This is Ale. She is one of the consecrated and she's in charge of purefashion.  We all love her. 

Pure Fashion is a faith based group for young girls teaching modesty and closeness to Christ, servant spirit. It is run by the Catholic church, but they allow other faiths to join in. It's great to see all different faiths coming together.  This year, Karlie is not the only Baptist. We all have JEsus in common!

At least I got her on  the way back up the runway.

I made her pose for me after it was all over.  There was also a drawing for a 50 dollar visa gift card. They called out MY ticket number and I won. I am saving it with my bday money for a treadmill. 

We had fun watching all of the girls in their fashions, but my girl was my favorite!

I wanna rose on mine...UPDATED

Today is my birthday, but we celebrated with the family birthday party this past weekend. On  Saturday when my mom walked in with a birthday cake box. I was excited to see a cake with red roses. Thoughts of past childhood birthdays came to mine. If I was to have a store bought cake when I was a girl my request was always a white cake with red rose icing. Mom and Honey always said Red food coloring is bitter tasting, but that's what I always requested.

I went downstairs to look through Honey's photos to find some of my old birthday photos. Her photo albums pretty much is a photographic history of all of the family's lives. I was looking for several birthday photos with  past cakes with the red roses, but I couldn't find all of the ones that I was thinking of. Honey said that my mom must have the others. .The one I really wanted to post was the one of me standing in a chair playing a toy guitar...

Well, Zach had to get it from somebody didn't, he?

Honey made me a layer cake one year, I remember thinking that it was pretty fancy to have a layer cake(She recently gave me the pans that create this layer cake)...count the candles...I was 4 in this photo.

The love for red rose on the cake started early.

Red rose cake...love it

The guitar birthday photo has been located.

Birthday party at 'the woods' with red rose icing...

Here I am with Ready the beagle...the best dog of my childhood...she was Lovey's hunting dog, but I taught her tricks, and we were the best of pals. Count the candles 11. Most of my birthday cakes photos were taken at Honeys. This was the last birthday cake while we still lived in Natchez, by my next birthday, we had moved 60 miles away.

If it's a piece of birthday cake you're giving me, cut me an end piece with a red rose on top, and pass the Carb-Ease Please!